Sunday's World Cup action features eight teams looking for their first win of this year's tournament.
Rodri and Spain take on Abdulelah Al-Amri and Saudi Arabia in a Group H game in Atlanta. Romelu Lukaku and Belgium face Iran in Southern California, and New Zealand plays Egypt in another Group G game in Vancouver, British Columbia. Uruguay takes on tiny Cape Verde in the other Group H game.
Each of those eight countries opened with a draw, including a scoreless tie for No. 2 Spain against Cape Verde. Al-Amri scored for Saudi Arabia in a 1-1 game against Uruguay, and there was another 1-1 stalemate for Egypt versus Belgium. New Zealand played Iran to a 2-2 tie.
The four draws last Monday were the most in a single day at the men’s World Cup since 1958. That means Group G and Group H are wide open going into their second day of play.
Spain and Belgium are looking to establish themselves as championship contenders, while a win for Cape Verde would stamp the group of islands off Africa’s West coast as one of the tournament's biggest surprises in its World Cup debut.
—Spain vs. Saudi Arabia, 12 p.m. EDT in Atlanta (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)
—Belgium vs. Iran, 3 p.m. EDT in Inglewood, California (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)
—Uruguay vs. Cape Verde, 6 p.m. EDT in Miami Gardens, Florida (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)
—New Zealand vs. Egypt, 9 p.m. EDT in Vancouver, British Columbia (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)
Lamine Yamal was the big talking point again for Spain ahead of its game against Saudi Arabia.
Coach Luis de la Fuente was inundated with questions about his star forward and how much of a role he would play after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Yamal was a second-half substitute for Spain’s draw against Cape Verde, and De la Fuente would not confirm if the 18-year-old winger would start against Saudi Arabia.
“He’s feeling well, that’s the best news,” De la Fuente said. “The main thing is that he’s back ... and that he’s extremely eager to do things well in this championship.”
European champion Spain is one of the World Cup favorites, but it has not advanced beyond the round of 16 since winning the tournament in 2010.
“There’s no despair. We are motivated,” De la Fuente said.
Belgium’s Jérémy Doku will not play against Iran because of an illness. The Manchester City winger has been ruled out for the match at SoFi Stadium.
The speedy Doku started Belgium’s World Cup opener and played into the 86th minute of its draw with Egypt. Doku reportedly left a practice early due to breathing issues during the week before the opening match.
Doku has been in the spotlight in recent days after telling reporters that he planned to leave the team if necessary for the birth of his first child during the World Cup. Doku’s wife is due in early July, during the knockout stages.
Belgium is 10th in FIFA’s world rankings, but it needs a strong result against Iran to stay on track to win its group. The Red Devils finish group-stage play against New Zealand on Friday.
The Netherlands reached 100 World Cup goals when Brian Brobbey scored twice in the first half of Saturday's 5-1 victory over Sweden. It became the eighth country to hit that milestone, joining Brazil, Germany, Argentina, France, Italy, Spain and England.
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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