Cabo Verde Stuns Spain, Belgium-Egypt Draw, More Live World Cup 2026 Updates, Scores and Highlights

On a day full of shocking World Cup results, New Zealand earned one of their own by drawing 2-2 with Iran.

With Iran favored coming into the match and backed by a raucous California crowd, it was New Zealand who set the tone by taking the lead on two separate occasions through breakout star Elijah Just. Still, to their credit, Iran worked their way back into the match courtesy of two delightful finishes from inside the box.

Unlike many of its predecessors at this summer's tournament, Monday night's finale was full of back-and-forth play. Neither team dominated the ball and neither team packed it in deep inside their own half. Rather, both sides took turns venturing forwards in hopes of breaking the game open.

For New Zealand, those forays took the form of sharp back-to-goal play from Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood, while Just and other central attackers swirled around him. For Iran, direct play and savvy off-ball movement defined the attacking approach. Both teams shared an appetite for long throws, too.

That there was so little between the two outfits paints a fascinating picture for what's to come from Group G. Following a 1-1 draw between Belgium and Egypt earlier in the day, all four teams sit on a single point. It's safe to say that there's plenty to play for in that group, one that should settle after the next matchday.

For now, both teams will be torn between feeling like they've earned a point and as if they've lost two. But that's the beautiful tension innate to this sport, isn't it?

This tournament is special.

Mohammad Mohebi gets Iran back into the game with a clever headed finish! It's 2-2.

The Motherwell man scores a second goal to put his side up 2-1!

Let's see who grabs a winner here, shall we?

It's been a balanced first half so far in Southern California between Iran and New Zealand.

It was New Zealand, the underdogs coming into the match, who took a surprising early lead after a lovely strike from Elijah Just. Carrying that momentum forward, Darren Bazeley's team had an impressive stretch of possession in the attacking half. With Chris Wood providing top quality hold-up play from his striker spot, New Zealand had a foothold in the opening period.

Iran wouldn't be outdone, though. They climbed back into the match via a goal from Ramin Rezaeian, who made a marauding run into the box from the right wing and made no mistake on the finish from close range. Iran have shown some bright spots in quick transition moments, too.

In all, there hasn't been much between the two teams so far. Will that change in the second 45?

Now there's a lovely stabbed strike from Ramin Rezaeian! It's 1-1 in Los Angeles.

...but they still trail 1-0 to New Zealand.

Elijah Just with a lovely finish to put New Zealand up 1-0 over Iran!

It's go time, y'all!

The story of one of the world's most viral men!

Let's get settled for this Group G clash, shall we?

It was nervy for Uruguay, but they managed to salvage a draw with Saudi Arabia thanks to a late goal from Maxi Araujo.

Araujo's strike came in the aftermath of a cross, which was the go-to attacking method for Uruguay on the evening. It was far more brute force than finesse for Marcelo Bielsa's team, which struggled to break through Saudi Arabia's disciplined defensive block for the vast majority of the match. However, a bit of poor goalkeeping from Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Al-Owais allowed Uruguay to equalize at 1-1.

Al-Owais wasn't the only goalkeeper who dipped in a big moment. The same could be said of Fernando Muslera, who parried the ball into traffic on Saudi Arabia's goal much like his counterpart did.

If the match wasn't a banner for quality goalkeeping, it did serve as a reminder of the sheer unpredictability of the World Cup's group stage. With all four teams in Group H having played one match, they're all level on a single point — that's right, Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia are level with Spain and Uruguay. Who could've seen that coming?

With a match between Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde still on the calendar, it's entirely possible that one of those nations ends the group stage on four points and puts into question whether one of Uruguay or Spain will make it out of the group. Time will tell, of course, but drama abounds.

It's Maxi Araujo who comes up big for Uruguay! 1-1 in Miami.

Chills.

Close, but not quite, for Uruguay!

That's much more like it from Uruguay.

Can Uruguay work their way back into this one? Or will Saudi Arabia claim the World Cup's latest shocking upset?

It's been a day of unexpected scorelines, so why not keep that theme going?

After a late corner kick goal in the first half via defender Al-Amri Abdulelah, Saudi Arabia have a 1-0 lead over Uruguay. It's been a cagey affair in Miami between the two sides. Marcelo Bielsa's outfit has been in control of possession, desperately trying to create chances against Saudi Arabia's compact 4-4-2 block.

But those attempts have largely been fruitless. Playing out of a 3-1-6 setup in possession, the gap between Uruguay's buildup unit and their more attacking players has been so large — to the point where progression into the final third has been a pain point. Saudi Arabia, for their part, have looked quite comfortable defending and hitting on the occasional transition attack. Those forays into the opposing half of the field mixed with some success in the air have given them the all-important lead.

Another upset might be on the cards, folks.

Al-Amri Abdulelah has Saudi Arabia up 1-0 over Uruguay!

Fernando Muslera keeps his team level with an impressive stop!

Saudi Arabia stay strong in the back!

With Marcelo Bielsa's team trying to get in sync and Saudi Arabia still coming to terms with newly appointed manager Georgios Donis, it's been a quiet opening stretch in Miami.

Let's get this party started!

Uruguay should have the edge in this one. But that sure hasn't meant much today, has it.

Belgium delivered a significantly better performance in the second half. Doku was at the heart of their success, thanks to his explosiveness and ability to draw fouls. Using his quick feet and lower body strength to earn a free kick in the 60th minute nearly helped Kevin De Bruyne produce the equalizer. The playmaking midfielder delivered a dipping free kick that struck the right post. That moment started Belgium's second-half dominance.

Youri Tielemans' left-footed volley nearly went in off a corner in the 61st minute. De Bruyne wasted another well-orchestrated attack, hitting a weak shot right into the hands of goalkeeper Mostafa Ahmed Shobeir. While Belgium started taking control of the game in the second half, they lacked the sharpness to instill the belief that they could score without their iconic striker.

Romelu Lukaku was finally brought on in the 66th minute. It took him less than 30 seconds to make his mark. Belgium's all-time leading goal scorer got in between multiple defenders to force right back Mohamed Hany into an own goal. Belgium's success will be dependent on its veteran core. The goal started from a ball over the top by Tielemans to Thomas Meunier, where the experienced right back sent in a sharp cross into the box for the equalizer. This is how Belgium will succeed this summer, aside from Doku's brilliance. The remaining players from their golden generation are still dangerous, even if they are no longer at their peak.

Despite making an immediate impact, Lukaku will be frustrated with his missed header in the 86th minute. A whipped-in free kick from midfielder Nicolas Raskin fell perfectly for him in the box. He couldn't keep his connection down to capitalize on a golden opportunity. As the second half continued, Lukaku's rustiness was evident after an injury-plagued season at Napoli.

Belgium sluggish back line looked uneasy when tested. They committed self-inflicted errors both on and off the ball. Manchester City's Omar Marmoush got past Ngoy on the break, which caused initial concern before blasting his shot high and wide. Rudi Garcia's side was very shaky defensively despite their improvement in the second half.

Despite fading in the second half, Egypt will be pleased with a draw. They showed they can compete with one of Europe's better sides. Their organization at the back was impressive, and they posed a threat off the break with their playmakers. Both teams should be encouraged going forward as the favorites to advance from the group.

Onto the pitch and forces an OG to tie score at 1-1.

Napoli man just wide from the FK.

It's been a physical battle filled with hard tackles and last-ditch clearances. Egypt hasn't put together many well-coordinated attacking sequences, but they have been decisive during their moments on the ball. Emam Ashour scored his first international goal to give Egypt the lead. The veteran winger was found by Mohamed Salah who played the ball in, where he had space to operate and blast a low shot in from distance.

It's rare for Thibaut Courtois to get beat from distance. That's how well-struck the shot was. The world class goalkeeper did shortly respond afterwards saving a powerful low shot from Ziko. That's one of the few positives in a lackluster first half for Belgium. They have been wasteful with the few chances created. The attacking front has looked out of sync without a focal point.

Kevin De Bruyne should have scored in the sixth minute after a nice passing sequence with Jeremy Doku and Charles De Ketelaere. He curled his shot wide of the far post. De Ketelaere combined with Doku again before the half in the box. The Atalanta playmaker's excellent lay off was wasted off by Doku's wild shot that went well over the bar.

It's only a matter of time before Romelu Lukaku will be brought on to give Belgium a much-needed focal point. They have been outmanned in the box by Egypt's imposing, well-organized defense. There is also concern for Belgium at the back, where they've looked vulnerable when tested. Egypt looked the more threatening team to go into halftime. It will take some effort by Belgium to come back in this intense match.

Courtois up to the test on this one.

What one stayed hit from the top of the box.

Seattle looking glorious!

One foul!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of the most shocking results in World Cup history has taken place in Atlanta. Cabo Verde defended remarkably and played intelligently to earn a sensational draw against Spain. They frustrated a team filled with world-class talent, which was forced to bring on two of its best attackers in a desperate effort to score.

Ferran Torres and Mikel Oyarzabal were hugely disappointing by missing clear-cut chances and failing to impose themselves. Spain's star-studded midfield couldn't get much penetration with their passing that you would expect in such a lopsided matchup on paper. Despite having 74% possession, they didn't have many stretches where they were truly dominant.

Yamal immediately injected energy into a lackadaisical Spain side struggling to create chances when he came on, with his pace and directness. Cabo Verde responded by having two players surround him every time he touched the ball. His presence helped create more movement between the channels for attackers to maneuver.

It still wasn't enough to break down an incredibly well-organized Cabo Verde side. That led to center back Aymerick Laporte moving up to play as a center forward while Spain was in possession in the 80th minute. Mikel Merino and Dani Olmo, who both scored memorable goals during Spain's memorable 2024 European Championship run, were brought on to help settle the deadlock. Nico Williams eventually joined Spain's attack in an all-out effort. 

Olmo nearly had an assist after taking down a terrific ball over the top from Fabian Ruiz. The clever lay-off was placed perfectly for Oyarzabal, but his goal-bound shot was incredibly blocked by center back Roberto Lopes. Cabo Verde's heroic defending continued, making clearance after clearance to prevent Spain from scoring. They eventually had an opportunity to counter, earning a corner in the 89th minute. Cabo Verde's other center back Diney Borges managed to put a header on target to leave the crowd stunned for a moment that the unthinkable could happen.

The unthinkable ended up happening. Cabo Verde deservedly secured a draw to get a historic point. They proved they belong on the world stage. While Spain will have questions surrounding them following their underwhelming performance, it's still very much a long tournament, where Yamal and Williams will get into the flow of it. In the end, this is a day of celebration for Cabo Verde.

What an incredible result.

Un. Be. Leivable.

First World Cup for global phenom. Can he rescue Spain???

Spain striker not been involved too much to start the game.

Spain has some work to do in the second half.

It's been a sluggish start for the reigning European champions. The absences of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams have been felt as they dominate possession. Not having their dynamism is forcing them to play more centrally. It has put more onus on the fullbacks to get forward and make runs in behind.

After making a few early dangerous runs, Marc Cucurella helped create Spain's first real chance of the game. A tremendous ball from Rodri with his weaker foot found Real Madrid's new signing, who nodded it down to Ferran Torres for what should have been a certain goal. Torres blasted it onto the crossbar, which led to the ball dropping to Mikel Oyarzabal. His looping header was somehow saved by Cabo Verde's Vozinha, who made a tremendous leap to keep the ball out of the net.

Spain continued having more success creating attacks from the left, but Torres missed another excellent chance, sending his shot straight into Vozinha's hands. It took nearly 40 minutes for one of the tournament favorites to get going. Even as heavy favorites in this matchup, it was going to take time to find a rhythm without their two best attackers in the lineup. It will be interesting to see if either of them will be brought on in the second half to break down a valiant Cabo Verde side.

How is it still 0-0???

Not ideal against Cabo Verde.

Could be a long afternoon for the Blue Sharks

Careful Spain...you've got legends watching 👀

Literally changing games.

Barca star still recovering from injury.

Spanish fans tackle tough question on young star.

Quick one from yesterday...Tokyo knows how to party (and respectfully to traffic laws)

Sure! Why not! It's the World Cup!

Oh you thought we was finished? We will never stop. Well, until July 19th. But that's ages away...so to get you started, peep this preview for favorites Spain.