World Cup day 5 produces four shock draws as Spain held by Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Egypt deny Uruguay and Belgium

Three opening 2026 World Cup matches ended in draws, with favorites held. Saudi Arabia drew 1-1 with Uruguay after a goalkeeping error by Fernando Muslera. Belgium also drew 1-1 with Egypt, equalizing after a key substitution of Romelu Lukaku. Iran, amid chaotic preparations, twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with New Zealand, continuing a strong unbeaten start for Asian confederation teams.

Uruguay-Saudi Arabia draw

• ▪Abdulelah Al Amri scored for Saudi Arabia in the first half after a mistake by Uruguay's goalkeeper
• ▪The two draws in Group H mean all four teams have one point after the first round of fixtures
• ▪Saudi Arabia and Uruguay played to a 1-1 draw in their opening Group H match of the 2026 World Cup in Miami
• ▪Maximiliano Araujo scored an equalizer for Uruguay with 10 minutes remaining in the match

Iran-New Zealand Draw and Political Context

• ▪Iran came from behind twice to secure a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in their Group G opener in Los Angeles
• ▪Iran's captain, Mehdi Taremi, described the team's World Cup situation as a "disaster" due to the troubled preparations
• ▪Eli Just scored two goals for New Zealand, while Mohammad Mohebi and Ramin Rezaeian scored for Iran
• ▪The lead-up to the match was chaotic for Iran, with 11 officials denied entry to the U.S., forcing a team base change to Tijuana, Mexico

Belgium-Egypt Draw

• ▪Belgium equalized in the 66th minute via an own-goal from Egypt's Mohamed Hany, forced by substitute Romelu Lukaku
• ▪Egypt has never won a match in its four World Cup tournament appearances
• ▪Emam Ashour gave Egypt a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute with his first international goal
• ▪Belgium, a favorite in Group G, settled for a 1-1 draw with Egypt in their opening match in Seattle

Key Player Moments

• ▪Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez was substituted at halftime against Saudi Arabia after being barely involved in the first half
• ▪Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, 39, spilled a simple catch that led directly to Saudi Arabia's goal
• ▪Fernando Muslera is the first Uruguayan player to be selected for five World Cup squads
• ▪Romelu Lukaku's substitution for Belgium sparked the attack that led to an equalizing goal 23 seconds after he entered the game

AFC Performance Context

• ▪The 2026 World Cup's expansion to 48 teams increased the number of guaranteed spots for AFC nations from six to nine
• ▪Nations from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) were unbeaten in their first five matches of the tournament, with two wins and three draws