Overview
- Spain produced a dominant 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia on Sunday, with Lamine Yamal opening the scoring and Mikel Oyarzabal netting twice to move Spain to four points in Group H. Cape Verde, appearing at their first World Cup, held Uruguay to a 2-2 draw and now sit level on points with Uruguay, giving them a real chance to reach the knockout stage.
- Egypt recovered from an early deficit to beat New Zealand 3-1 on Sunday, with Mohamed Salah scoring and the win marking Egypt’s first-ever World Cup victory.
- Iran frustrated Belgium to a 0-0 draw in Los Angeles as goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand made multiple key saves and Belgium finished with ten men after a red card to Nathan Ngoy.
- The expanded 48-team format is producing early volatility and underdog stories, and tournament organizers are facing ongoing operational and commercial issues such as visa problems, local protests, VAR debates, and heavy activity in crypto prediction markets.