Group G concluded with Belgium and Egypt celebrating qualification for the Round of 32, although it was the Red Devils who claimed first place thanks to a superior goal difference.
Belgium produced an emphatic 5-1 victory over New Zealand, while Egypt secured the point they needed in a tense 1-1 draw against Iran. Iran's hopes now rest on finishing among the tournament's best third-placed teams.
Belgium End Group Stage in Style
Needing a convincing victory to have a chance of finishing above Egypt, Belgium wasted little time taking control against New Zealand.
After creating several early openings, Leandro Trossard finally broke the deadlock by reacting quickest inside the penalty area following a corner kick.
The Premier League winger doubled his tally shortly after halftime before Kevin De Bruyne added another with a trademark strike from distance, putting the result beyond doubt.
Even after manager Rudi Garcia began rotating his squad, Belgium continued to create chances. Elijah Just briefly gave New Zealand something to celebrate with a consolation goal, but Romelu Lukaku quickly restored the four-goal cushion before Alexis Saelemaekers completed the scoring in stoppage time.
The convincing win lifted Belgium to the top of the group on goal difference.
Egypt Survive Late Scare
While Belgium were scoring freely, Egypt had to battle until the final whistle to confirm their place in the knockout stage.
The Pharaohs made the perfect start when Mahmoud Saber capitalized on excellent work from Mohamed Salah and a costly mistake by goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand to score inside the opening five minutes.
Iran had an immediate chance to respond after being awarded a penalty, but Mehdi Taremi was denied by Mostafa Shobeir, whose save proved crucial.
The equalizer still arrived before halftime, with Ramin Rezaeian finding the net after reacting quickest inside the box following another save from the Egyptian goalkeeper.
VAR Denies Iran Dramatic Winner
The second half became increasingly tense as both teams realized what was at stake.
Egypt suffered another setback when Salah was forced off with a thigh injury, raising concerns ahead of the knockout rounds.
Iran believed they had completed the comeback late in the match when Shoja Khalilzadeh scored, only for referee Szymon Marciniak to disallow the goal after a VAR review identified a marginal offside.
Moments later, Iran struck the crossbar, but the equalizer remained the final goal of the evening.
The draw was enough for Egypt to finish level on points with Belgium and comfortably secure a place in the knockout stage, while Iran must now wait to discover whether three draws will be enough to extend their World Cup journey.