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Strong Teams Dropped Points on World Cup Opening Night
On the opening night of the 2026 World Cup, Iran, Belgium, Uruguay, and New Zealand all finished their matches in draws. The first games showed that despite the favorites' dominance, they could not maintain a scoring advantage.
In the opening matches of the 2026 World Cup, Iran, Belgium, Uruguay, and New Zealand each earned a point with draws. The tournament's first night featured matches where strong teams controlled the game but failed to secure a clear lead on the scoreboard.
One of the standout matches took place in Los Angeles. Iran and New Zealand ended 2-2, with New Zealand taking the lead twice during the game.
New Zealand gained the advantage twice thanks to goals from Elijah Just. Iran responded with goals from Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebbi but could not complete a comeback.
This result marked a valuable start for New Zealand. Iran, appearing in their fourth consecutive World Cup, missed the chance to open with a victory.
In Seattle, Belgium and Egypt drew 1-1. Ranked ninth in the FIFA standings, Belgium held possession for most of the game against 29th-ranked Egypt.
Egypt took the lead in the 19th minute with a goal from Emam Ashour. This was Ashour's first international goal and gave Egypt a clear plan to stay competitive in the match.
Belgium created chances in the first half through Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne but failed to equalize. After Romelu Lukaku entered in the second half, pressure increased and the equalizer came from an own goal by Mohamed Hany.
Belgium's pursuit of a win ended unsuccessfully with a missed chance by Lukaku, while Egypt expected a penalty late in the game but the decision stood. After the match, Hossam Hassan said his team was closer to winning.
In Miami, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay played to a 1-1 draw. Uruguay, one of the tournament favorites, controlled the game for long periods, but Saudi Arabia maintained discipline to keep the score level.
Uruguay applied pressure in the first half, but Saudi Arabia took the lead in the 41st minute with a goal from Abdulelah Al-Amri. Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera failed to clear the ball during a set-piece, allowing the goal.
In the second half, Uruguay pushed fully into Saudi territory and Maxi Araujo scored the equalizer. The goal was also influenced by goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais failing to hold a save.
Saudi Arabia showed resilience against a strong opponent once again, following their surprise win over Argentina in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Coach Georgios Donis’s proactive game plan was evident throughout much of the match.
By the end of the first week, Groups G and H remained wide open. Spain’s draw with Cape Verde also created a tougher-than-expected scenario for the favorites.
With the new tournament format allowing the top two teams from each group and the best third-placed teams to advance, every point has increased importance. The opening night results demonstrated that lower-profile teams are staying in the race by earning points rather than waiting.
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