World Cup: Spain Rout Saudi Arabia, Japan Thrash Tunisia, Egypt Roar Back as Cape Verde Impress

By Jessica Afuye

The FIFA World Cup 2026 continued with another exciting round of group-stage matches as several teams battled for qualification to the knockout rounds. Japan and Spain recorded impressive victories, Egypt produced a strong comeback win, while Cape Verde and Curacao created surprises by holding Uruguay and Ecuador respectively.

Japan 4–0 Tunisia

Japan delivered one of the biggest performances of the tournament so far with a convincing 4–0 victory over Tunisia. The Samurai Blue started strongly and took the lead in the early stages through Daichi Kamada, who finished well after Japan’s attacking move.

Japan continued to dominate and doubled their advantage when Ayase Ueda found the net. After the break, Japan maintained their pressure, with Junya Ito scoring the third goal before Ayase Ueda completed his brace to make it 4–0. The win strengthened Japan’s chances of reaching the knockout stage and showed their quality as one of the tournament’s strongest Asian teams.

Spain 4–0 Saudi Arabia

Spain responded in style with a dominant 4–0 victory over Saudi Arabia. The Spanish side controlled possession from the beginning and opened the scoring through teenage star Lamine Yamal, who scored in the 10th minute.

Spain continued their attacking football, and Mikel Oyarzabal became the difference-maker by scoring twice to give Spain a comfortable lead. Saudi Arabia struggled to deal with Spain’s movement and passing, and the situation became worse when Hassan Al-Tambakti scored an own goal, completing Spain’s 4–0 win. The victory boosted Spain’s hopes of advancing and showed why they remain one of the favourites in the competition.

Belgium 0–0 Iran

Belgium and Iran played out a difficult goalless draw in Group G. Belgium created several opportunities but failed to break through Iran’s organised defence.Belgium’s challenge became harder after Nathan Ngoy received a red card, leaving them to finish the match with ten players. Iran attempted to use the advantage but could not find the winning goal, as both teams settled for one point.

Ecuador 0–0 Curacao

Ecuador suffered a frustrating result after being held to a 0–0 draw by Curacao. Ecuador dominated much of the match and created many chances, but Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room produced an outstanding performance to deny them.The match had no goal scorers because both teams failed to find the back of the net. The result was historic for Curacao, who secured their first-ever World Cup point.

Uruguay 2–2 Cape Verde

Uruguay were shocked by World Cup debutants Cape Verde in a thrilling 2–2 draw. Cape Verde took the lead through Kevin Pina, who scored a brilliant free-kick to give his team an early advantage. Uruguay responded before half-time as Maximiliano Araújo equalised, before Agustín Canobbio completed the comeback by scoring to make it 2–1. However, Cape Verde refused to give up and fought back in the second half, with Hélio Varela scoring the equaliser to secure a famous draw for the African side.

New Zealand 1–3 Egypt

Egypt recorded an important comeback victory after defeating New Zealand 3–1. New Zealand started better and took the lead through Finn Surman, who headed in the opening goal. Egypt responded before half-time through Mostafa Zico, who brought the match level. The Pharaohs then took control in the second half as captain Mohamed Salah scored to put Egypt ahead, before Trezeguet added the third goal to complete the comeback. The victory gave Egypt a major boost in their World Cup campaign and increased their chances of reaching the next round.

The latest results have made the group stage more competitive, with teams now fighting for every point as qualification for the knockout stage draws closer.