After the Sweden vs Tunisia encounter, fans were expecting some one-sided matches in Group G and Group H on June 15. Eight teams were playing, including Spain, Uruguay, Belgium, and Iran, and all of them are amongst the top 20 world football teams. Surprisingly, the biggest surprise came from the debutants Cape Verde when they faced World No. 2 Spain.
Till now, 16 matches have been played at the FIFA World Cup 2026, and none of the favorites dominated except Germany and Sweden. It's either been a draw or a win by a very close margin. The results of Group G and Group H acted as a leveler, as none of the big guns performed up to the mark. However, Egypt, Cape Verde, and New Zealand performed exceptionally well. Here is a full report of what happened and how.
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The 40-year-old Who Upset Spain (Group H)
Spain, the European champions, were clearly the favorites against the debutants Cape Verde in Group H. The Atlanta Stadium was filled with Spanish fans cheering for "La Roja", but the African nation had different plans. Despite having 62% possession and 27 total shots, Spain's attack was stifled by Cape Verde's defense.
The hero of the match was 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who was like a wall for his nation. It's hard to imagine how even sensational stars like Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres couldn't do a thing. The match ended scoreless with wild and emotional celebrations from Cape Verde Camp. Now, Spain needs a serious performance against Saudi Arabia on June 21 to qualify smoothly to the next stage.
Twenty-Two Seconds Changed Everything (Group G)
Belgium drawing with Egypt was not on anybody's list. If you have watched the match, you know how Egypt clearly dominated against the much stronger Belgium side. Despite having stars like Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, the Belgians couldn't score one extra goal against the Egyptian defense.
It was a game of playmakers, where KDB was leading from Belgium and Mohamed Salah was changing the game for Egypt. In the 19th minute, Salah assisted Emam Ashour to score a stunner and lead the game 1-0. For the first time, Egypt were leading in the first half of their World Cup game. It felt as if Egypt would finally get their first-ever World Cup win.
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In the second half, Belgium played their trump card by substituting X with Romelu Lukaku. Within 22 seconds, he forced a Mohamed Hany own goal from Thomas Meunier's cross in the 66th minute—the hard-fought contest ended with 53% possession for Belgium and 47% for Egypt. With no winners, both of them will have to win their next matches for a comfortable ride.
Nunez Off, Araujo On, Saudi Arabia Hold Firm (Group H)
When inaugural World Champions are playing with a team ranked 61, you expect the former one to destroy the latter. But that's not how the FIFA World Cup works. Saudi Arabian football is evolving, and they know how to tackle South Americans. In the 41st minute, Abdullah Al-Amri scored a stunning goal from a set-piece, giving Saudi a 1-0 half-time lead.
Despite having over 60% ball possession, the match was slipping from Uruguay. The first half was disappointing, and fans were expecting them to make a major comeback like the 2018 Belgian World Cup side against Japan. Marcelo Bielsa's men improved in the second half and had a pass accuracy of 92%, which led to their comeback in the 80th minute. The credit goes to Bielsa for replacing Maximiliano Araújo with Darwin Nunez, who scored the equalizer after a rebound from Mohammed Al-Owais saved a header. The match ended 1-1.
Four Goals, Two Comebacks, Zero Winners (Group G)
Iran were the favorites against New Zealand, but they are also the most logistically exhausted team as they have to leave the United States after every game. However, New Zealand were the dominant force throughout the night. In the first seven minutes, Elijah Just scored the opening goal of the match, thanks to a Chris Wood assist.
Mehdi Taremi tried some long shots, but couldn't convert. Then in the 32nd minute, Ramin Rezaeian reacted quickest to a loose ball after Shahriyar Moghanlou's effort was blocked, and Iran scored their first goal. The first half ended with 1-1, but New Zealand's Elijah scored for the second time in the 55th minute, and New Zealand were in the driving seat.
With 35 minutes left in the play, Iran desperately needed a comeback. Just when we thought New Zealand would get their first win of the FIFA World Cup, a beautiful cross from Ramin Rezaeian helped Mohammad Mohebbi score a beautiful header in the 64th minute. The Final scores were 2-2; Iran had 17 total attempts on goal, New Zealand 14, and neither side stopped pushing.
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No Room for Another Slip
With no victories on Day 5, Groups G and H are wide open. Spain will face Saudi Arabia on June 21, while Cape Verde will play against Uruguay on the same day. Any more drawn matches could be highly complex to predict who would be going ahead in the next round.
We thought Group G clearly had favorites, but Iran, New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt all have equally great chances of topping the table. On 21 June, Belgium will play Iran at SoFi Stadium, while Egypt will meet New Zealand on the same day. From here, every match in both groups carries real stakes.
