Egypt Make History with Their First-Ever World Cup Victory

Egypt wrote a new chapter in their football history by securing their first-ever victory at a FIFA World Cup, defeating New Zealand 3-1 in Vancouver, Canada, as part of Group G action at the 2026 World Cup.

The Pharaohs had previously played eight World Cup matches across their earlier appearances without recording a single victory. Their ninth match finally delivered the long-awaited breakthrough and could prove crucial in their bid to reach the knockout stage for the first time.

Despite a difficult start and conceding an early goal from Finn Surman in the 15th minute, Egypt showed tremendous character and mounted an impressive comeback. Mostafa Abdel Raouf "Zizo" equalized in the 58th minute before captain Mohamed Salah continued his outstanding international form by putting Egypt ahead just nine minutes later, scoring his 68th goal for the national team. Substitute Mahmoud Hassan "Trezeguet" sealed the historic victory with a third goal in the 82nd minute.

At the final whistle, scenes of celebration erupted both inside and outside the stadium. Head coach Hossam Hassan proudly carried the Egyptian flag around the pitch amid jubilant celebrations, reflecting the significance of the achievement for Egyptian football.

The victory moved Egypt to four points at the top of Group G, leaving them in a strong position to qualify for the Round of 32 for the first time in their history.

Belgium Drop More Points

In the other Group G fixture, Iran held Belgium to a goalless draw in a hard-fought encounter at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in front of more than 70,000 spectators.

Although Belgium enjoyed the majority of possession and controlled large periods of the match, Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand made one of the finest performances of his international career, making a series of outstanding saves to preserve the clean sheet.

Belgium’s task became even more difficult in the 66th minute when defender Nathan Ngoy was sent off for bringing down Mehdi Taremi while the Iranian striker was through on goal, forcing the Red Devils to finish the match with ten men.

The draw lifted Iran to two points from two matches and kept their qualification hopes firmly alive ahead of a decisive final group-stage clash against Egypt.

Spain Cruise Past Saudi Arabia

In Group H, Spain bounced back strongly from their surprising opening-round setback against Cape Verde by achieving a commanding 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in Atlanta.

Much of the attention was focused on young star Lamine Yamal, who made his first start since returning from injury. The Barcelona winger wasted little time in making an impact, opening the scoring early and setting Spain on course for a dominant performance.

The Spaniards continued to pile on the pressure, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring twice in the space of just three minutes, leaving Saudi Arabia trailing by three goals within the opening 24 minutes.

Spain added a fourth goal in the second half after Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais saved an effort from Marc Cucurella, only for the rebound to deflect off defender Hassan Al Tambakti and into the net.

Saudi Arabia struggled to cope with Spain’s intensity throughout the match and now face a difficult challenge to keep their qualification hopes alive heading into the final round.

Cape Verde Earn Another Valuable Result

In the other Group H match, Cape Verde continued their impressive World Cup debut by earning a valuable 2-2 draw against Uruguay.

Kevin Pina scored Cape Verde’s first-ever goal at a FIFA World Cup when he gave his side the lead in the 21st minute. Uruguay responded with goals from Maxi Araújo and Agustín Canobbio to take control of the contest, but the African nation refused to surrender and levelled through Hélder Varela in the 61st minute.

The result moved Cape Verde onto two points from two matches in their first-ever World Cup appearance, keeping their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive. Uruguay, meanwhile, continued to drop points after recording their second consecutive draw of the tournament.