Cape Verde hold Spain in a day of thrilling draws

It was a day of thrilling draws at the FIFA World Cup 2026 as debutants Cape Verde stunned Spain with a goalless draw, while Saudi Arabia-Uruguay, Belgium-Egypt, and Iran- New Zealand ties also ended in stalemates.

Spain entered their Group H opener as one of the tournament favourites, but tournament debutants Cape Verde produced a disciplined defensive performance to earn a historic point on their World Cup debut.

Luis de la Fuente’s side controlled possession from the start and pushed Cape Verde deep inside their own half, but Spain struggled to turn their dominance into clear scoring opportunities.

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha played a crucial role, making seven saves in total to deny Spain’s forwards and keep the smallest African side ever to compete in the World Cup in the contest.

Spain came close on multiple occasions, with Ferran Torres hitting the woodwork, but Cape Verde’s defensive organisation prevented the European champions from finding the breakthrough.

The Spanish attack continued to press after the interval, with de la Fuente introducing more attacking options, including Lamine Yamal, in search of a winning goal.

However, Cape Verde remained composed and maintained their shape until the final whistle, securing one of the biggest results in their football history.

Drawing against the reigning Euro champions was a major achievement for Cape Verde, the second smallest country to ever compete in the World Cup.

Spain were left frustrated after failing to capitalise on their 74 percent possession and numerous chances, while Cape Verde celebrated a point that could prove valuable in Group H.

Belgium also had to settle for a draw after Egypt held them to a 1-1 result in Group G, denying the European side a winning start.

Egypt showed resilience against Belgium’s attacking threat and created enough chances to challenge their opponents throughout the match.

Midfielder Emam Ashour’s powerful strike from outside the box earned Egypt the lead in the 19th minute.

The African side held onto their lead into the break but lost it in the 66th minute, when while trying to stop subbed-in Romelu Lukaku from tapping in the ball home, Egyptian defender Mohamed Hany sliced the ball into his own net.

Both sides kept attempting to score a late winner, but failed as the match ended in a draw.

Elsewhere, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay played out another 1-1 draw in Group H, with both teams showing attacking intent but unable to find a late winner.

Abdulelah Al-Amri put Saudi Arabia ahead in the 40th minute, capitalising on a goalkeeping error. Maximiliano Araujo equalised for Uruguay in the 80th minute.

The South Americans dominated possessions but could not score the winning goal and both sides shared points.

Iran and New Zealand produced a high-scoring draw, finishing 2-2 after a match filled with momentum shifts and attacking opportunities.

New Zealand’s Eliah Just scored once each in either half but on both occasions, Iran equalised, first Ramin Rezaeian levelled the score in the 32nd minute and Mohammad Mohebbi netting the last goal of the contest in 64th as the match ended in a tie.