Belgium and Their Stars Set Numerous Records After Dominant Win Over New Zealand

The Belgian national team and its star players achieved a host of historic World Cup milestones with their emphatic 5-1 victory over New Zealand.

This marks the Red Devils' most convincing win in all their tournament appearances. Previously, they had only scored more than three goals in regular time once – during their 5-2 triumph over Tunisia at the 2018 World Cup.

Romelu Lukaku netted his sixth World Cup goal, making him the country's sole all-time leading scorer in the tournament. He previously shared the record with Marc Wilmots, who had five goals. Additionally, the striker also provided an assist today, bringing his total goal contributions at World Cups to seven. This places him at the top for Belgium in this regard, alongside Jan Ceulemans (4 goals + 3 assists), Eden Hazard (3 goals + 4 assists), and Kevin De Bruyne (3 goals + 4 assists), who scored once against the 'Kiwis'.

The Napoli midfielder, at 34 years and 11 months, became Belgium's oldest goalscorer at a World Cup. The previous record holder was Lei Clijsters, who scored at 33 years and 7 months in the 3-1 victory over Uruguay at the 1990 World Cup.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois played his 18th World Cup match, becoming the sole record holder for appearances for the country in the tournament. Before the start of the 2026 World Cup, Enzo Scifo held the record for most matches for Belgium in the tournament with 17 appearances.