FIFA World Cup 2026 results roundup Day 11: Spain Make a Statement, Cape Verde and Egypt Create History
World Cup 2026 results: Spain faced Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde eyed history against Uruguay in Group H. Belgium looked to bounce back against Iran as Egypt played New Zealand in
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
Spain underlined their World Cup credentials after an emphatic win over Saudi Arabia in Atlanta. After a frustrating opening game draw against Cape Verde, there were concerns about whether the tournament favorites can live up to the billing. But La Roja delivered a brilliant performance to kickstart their campaign.
Lamine Yamal, making his first World Cup start, put the European champions ahead in 10 minutes as he tapped in Mikel Oyarzabal’s low cross. Oyarzabal then scored a brace in three minutes as Spain ran Saudi Arabia ragged. The Real Sociedad forward first made it 2-0 with a low shot past Saudi goalkeeper Mohammad Al-Owais after they failed to deal with a corner. He then put the result beyond doubt in the 24th minute, stroking a volley home from close range.
Such was Spain’s dominance that coach Luis de la Fuente was happy to take them off at halftime. It took his side only four minutes into the second half to net another goal. Marc Cucurella saw his shot blocked from the corner only for the ball to bounce off Saudi defender Al Tambakti and go into the net.
Spain will feel they have their mojo back when they face Uruguay on June 27, and Saudi Arabia will look for a positive result against Cape Verde on the same date.
Uruguay 2-2 Cape Verde
Cape Verde continued their fairytale debut at the World Cup with another gutsy result. After producing a shock draw against Spain in their first game, they held two-time World Champions Uruguay to a 2-2 draw.
The South American side started on the front foot, with Federico Valverde going close to giving them the lead. But the narrative flipped when Kevin Pina drilled home a stunning long-range free kick to score Cape Verde’s first-ever World Cup goal in the 21st minute. The African side grew in confidence, but Uruguay kept threatening and had their equalizer a minute before the interval.
Defender Sidny Cabral saw his clearance hit the post, and Maxi Araujo dived low to head it in. Then in the sixth minute of the stoppage time, Marcelo Bielsa’s men went ahead. Araujo knocked down the ball in the box for Agustin Canobbio to finish home to make it 2-1 for his team.
In the second half, Cape Verde played with more purpose but struggled to find a way past the Uruguyan high press. But the Blue Sharks broke through in the 61st minute. Mathias Olivera’s careless pass across the defense was intercepted by Helio Varela, who took the ball past on-rushing goalkeeper Fernando Muslera before guiding the ball into the empty net.
Both teams had chances to secure three points but had to settle for a draw. The result keeps Cape Verde’s sensational World Cup campaign alive while La Celeste are left ruing two draws against teams they would’ve been expected to beat.
Egypt 3-1 New Zealand
Four World Cups and 92 years later, Egypt have their first win at the global tournament. Having been the first African side to play in the event way back in 1934, they waited nearly a century to register their victory, and it came in style in Vancouver.
They didn’t start the game against New Zealand in the best manner. All Whites, impressive in their opening game draw against Iran, took the lead in the 15th minute after Finn Surman scored a header from Tim Payne’s corner. In response, Egypt upped the ante but failed to break through as the first half came to an end.
They made a better start to the next half and were rewarded when Mostafa Zico powered a header past Kiwi goalkeeper Max Crocombe to draw them level in the 58th minute. Then, the Egyptian King took over.
Mohamed Salah has been his country’s biggest player in recent memory, and despite seeing massive success with Premier League side Liverpool, he has yet to deliver a defining moment for the Pharaohs. But it all changed against New Zealand. Salah played a neat one-two with Zico and bent the ball behind Crocombe in a trademark finish to put his side ahead in the 67th minute.
With eight minutes remaining, he put in a perfect corner for Trézéguet to head his side’s third goal eight minutes from time. The final whistle sparked joyous celebration for Egypt as they ended a long wait for a World Cup win, and Mo Salah finally had his moment on the big stage.
With qualification within grasp, Egypt will face Iran on June 27 and New Zealand will take on Belgium at the same time.
Belgium 0-0 Iran
Belgium are still looking for their first win after being held to a draw by Iran in their second successive game at the tournament. This result puts them in danger of missing out on reaching the knockout round for the second World Cup in a row.
The game at SoFi Stadium saw the Red Devils dominate for large parts but fail to find the back of the net. Romelu Lukaku had the chance to put his team ahead inside five minutes but failed to connect from a Kevin de Bruyne cross. Iran then showed more intent, Hossein Kanani forcing Thibaut Courtois into a fine save.
Both teams had half chances, and Team Melli thought they had taken the lead when a clever low free-kick saw Mehdi Taremi finish past Courtois. However, a VAR check confirmed that he was just offside.
The Red Devils then took hold of the game and laid siege to the Iranian goal but struggled to breakdown their stubborn defense. The second half saw more of the same routine, with Rudi Garcia’s men dominating the ball but Iran a threat on counter. The tide appeared to turn in the 66th minute when Nathan Ngoy was sent off for dragging down Taremi when he was through on goal. This opened up the game for a while, and Courtois was called into action, keeping out Saeid Ezatolahi’s long-distance attempt.
But Belgium still dominated possession at the other end without any real threat. In the moments they did create clear chances, they found Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand in inspired form. He kept out Maxim De Cuyper’s attempt and then held onto his low-curling effort to keep his team level. In the end, Belgium’s lack of creativity meant they have it all to do in their final group game while Iran are keeping their hopes of reaching the knockout stages for the first time alive.
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