Egypt became the first Arab nation to secure a victory at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating New Zealand 3-1, while Saudi Arabia and Tunisia endured heavy defeats in crucial group-stage clashes.
Egypt produced a memorable comeback victory over New Zealand in Vancouver on Sunday to record their first-ever FIFA World Cup win and boost their hopes of reaching the knockout stage for the first time in history.
New Zealand stunned the Pharaohs early when Finn Surman headed home in the 15th minute of the Group G encounter. However, Egypt responded strongly as Mostafa Zico leveled the score with a well-placed header from Mohamed Hany’s cross.
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah then inspired the turnaround with a brilliant second-half performance. Salah exchanged passes with Zico before curling a left-footed strike into the net in the 67th minute to put Egypt ahead.
Substitute Trezeguet sealed the historic 3-1 victory late in the game after converting Salah’s assist with a low header.
“In years to come we will remember that this was one of the achievements in history,” Salah said after the match, while also praising the strong Egyptian support inside the stadium.
The victory moved Egypt to the top of Group G with four points, leaving them needing only a draw against Iran in Seattle on Friday to qualify for the last 32.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia endured a difficult outing against European champions Spain, suffering a crushing 4-0 defeat in Atlanta.
Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal opened the scoring for Spain after just 10 minutes before Mikel Oyarzabal struck twice in quick succession to effectively end the contest within the opening 24 minutes.
Spain added a fourth goal early in the second half when Marc Cucurella’s effort deflected off Saudi defender Hassan Al-Tambakti into the net.
Spain coach Luis De la Fuente said criticism after his side’s opening draw with Cape Verde motivated the team to respond strongly.
The defeat leaves Saudi Arabia facing a challenging battle to stay alive in Group H.
Elsewhere, Belgium were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Iran in Los Angeles in another Group G fixture.
Iran impressed defensively and nearly scored through Mehdi Taremi before VAR ruled out his first-half effort. Belgium’s Nathan Ngoy was later sent off after bringing down Taremi following a defensive error.
The draw means all Group G matches so far have ended level, leaving Belgium with just two points from two games ahead of their final group-stage clash against New Zealand.
In Monterrey, Japan delivered one of the most dominant performances of the tournament by thrashing Tunisia 4-0, eliminating the North African side from the competition.
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu praised his squad’s resilience and adaptability after the convincing win despite the absence of injured playmaker Takefusa Kubo.
“We have built this squad around the concept that whoever steps onto the pitch can win,” Moriyasu said after the match.
The result pushed Japan closer to qualification for the knockout rounds while Tunisia became another Arab team to exit the tournament early.
