Welcome to TNIE's live coverage of Day 11 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Egypt earned the first World Cup win in their history by beating New Zealand 3-1 on Sunday, putting them on track to reach the knockout round for the first time.
Lamine Yamal marked his return to Spain's starting XI with the opening goal as the European champions thrashed Saudi Arabia 4-0 to boost their hopes of reaching the last 32 after being held by Cape Verde in their opener.
Belgium were frustrated again in Group G, settling for a goalless draw against Iran in Los Angeles and leaving themselves needing a win over New Zealand in their final group match to guarantee progress.
Meanwhile, debutants Cape Verde continued their remarkable unbeaten run by fighting back to draw 2-2 with Uruguay, with Helio Varela's second-half strike earning the African side another valuable point after scoring their first-ever World Cup goal earlier in the match.
Below are Day 11's fixtures, with all times in IST:
Spain vs Saudi Arabia - 9.30 pm
Belgium vs Iran - 12.30 am
Uruguay vs Cape Verde - 3.30 am
New Zealand vs Egypt - 6.30 am
Day 10 saw Japan hammer Tunisia 4-0 in the historic 1,000th World Cup match, while Germany and the Netherlands secured crucial wins over Ivory Coast and Sweden, respectively. Curacao also made history by earning their first-ever World Cup point, holding Ecuador to a goalless draw thanks to a heroic display from goalkeeper Eloy Room.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been a busy man at this World Cup but his unquenchable thirst to pack in as many matches as possible is causing unrest among environmentalists who are questioning his indifference to climate change.
Mexico City, Guadalajara, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Seattle, Kansas City, Houston: the Italo-Swiss boss has already powered up his private jet to appear in the stands 10 times in seven days.
His insatiable use of a Qatar Airways private jet is nothing new: in September 2024, the investigative outlet Josimar revealed that he had used the plane to clock up 600,000 kilometers (372,822 miles) over the previous three years.
But the expanded 2026 World Cup, staged for the first time with 48 teams across the United States, Canada, and Mexico — meaning a jump from 64 to 104 matches — has magnified the impact of Infantino's flying habit.
"Just one hour in this plane emits roughly what an average human being emits in an entire year," Greenly, a French company specializing in carbon footprint assessments, said this week.
A wounded Spain will aim to get their World Cup challenge firmly back on track when they face Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said his players had been stung by the criticism after they were held to a goalless draw in their opening match by Cape Verde, the African archipelago of just over half a million people who are making their World Cup debut.
The European champions arrived in North America as one of the favourites, but with Lamine Yamal only able to appear as a second-half substitute on his return from injury, La Roja were unable to find the target against Cape Verde.
De la Fuente, who confidently described his squad as the best in the world before the tournament, said they would show their true colors on Sunday.
"This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up... It's going to be a completely different story," he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday.
"There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow."
Egypt striker Hamza Abdelkarim is just 18 and one of the youngest players at the World Cup, but he's handling soccer's biggest stage as a seasoned professional.
The 6-footer is one of 22 teenagers on squads at the World Cup and he's the youngest player ever to play for his nation in the tournament.
Some are calling Abdelkarim Egypt's heir apparent to Mohamed Salah, now 34, who is arguably the team's biggest star. Abdelkarim subbed in for Salah in the 76th minute of Egypt's World Cup opener against Belgium.
What sets Abdelkarim apart is his poise. Following the 1-1 draw with Belgium, he confidently spoke for the squad for the television cameras.
“The whole team wanted the three points. We got one point at the end, but we gave it our all. And we need to thank the fans that came, the atmosphere was great and we focus on the next match,” he said.
New Zealand might have arrived at this World Cup just happy to be here again. But earning a point in the opener against Iran has opened the door to a run the All Whites have never made.
“We can’t let the occasion get too big,” head coach Darren Bazeley said. “It’s about us winning a game of football.”
The All Whites enter Sunday’s match against No. 29 Egypt with a chance to move out of the group stage for the first time in their World Cup history. For a nation ranked No. 82, fourth lowest in this year’s expanded 48‑team format, simply getting here for the first time since 2010 might have been enough.
But now, New Zealand has given itself a chance.
“Putting ourselves in such a great position – like this opportunity to create history – we know how good we can be,” midfielder Ben Old said. “It’s just a really exciting moment to be in.”
El golazo de la madrugada es obra de @daniolmo7.
— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) June 21, 2026
¡¡Vaya chirloooo!!#VamosEspaña | #CopaMundialFIFA pic.twitter.com/H3DvMOWJQF
Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami is being viewed as a key factor behind his remarkable form at the World Cup, with the 38-year-old leading Argentina’s title defence in style.
Messi scored his first World Cup hat trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria and equalled Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 World Cup goals.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni hailed his captain, saying, “Leo will be the best for as long as he wants; he has been doing it every single match for the last 20 years.”
Former France star Thierry Henry was equally impressed, saying, “Leo is just different. It’s just a different topic.”
Messi said he focused on arriving at the tournament in peak condition, “I tried to prepare myself in the best possible way to feel good physically, to feel useful, and to be able to help the group.”
Spain and Saudi Arabia will lock horns in Atlanta as both sides look for their maiden win in the FIFA World Cup 2026. Spain was held to a goalless draw by debutant Cape Verde, while a late equaliser by Uruguay saw Saudi Arabia settle for a point in its opening group-stage match.
Ahead of the clash between the European and Asian heavyweight, Sportstar looks ate the dynamics of the two sides and how they could line-up on Sunday.
Spain: Simon — Cucurella, Laporte, Cubarsi Llorente — Fabian, Rodri, Pedri, Olmo — Ferran, Oyarzabal, Yamal
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais — Al Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri — Abdulhamid, Kanno, Alkhaibari, Al-Harbi — Al-Juwayr, Al-Buraikan, Al-Dawsari.
⚽️ LAMINE YAMAL.
— Spanish Football (@SpainIsFootball) June 21, 2026
GOAL. SPAIN LEAD. 🇪🇸🔥
🇪🇸 🆚 🇸🇦 | 1-0 | 1’#VamosEspaña | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/BNhKnpvS30
it’s not a replay.
— Spanish Football (@SpainIsFootball) June 21, 2026
⚽️ OYARZABAAAAAL SCORES AGAIN!! GOOOAAAL FOR SPAIN!!
Spain is stretching the lead at the Atlanta Stadium.
🇪🇸 🆚 🇸🇦 | 3–0 | 24’#VamosEspaña | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/IqnGtiyJeX
We play like a team and celebrate like a family ❤️
— Spanish Football (@SpainIsFootball) June 21, 2026
🇪🇸 🆚 🇸🇦 | 4–0 |#VamosEspaña | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/zBFy7Ks5l8
Iran vs Belgium line ups
Iran line-up: Beiranvand (GK), Hardani, Kanaani, Khalilzadeh, Nemati, Safi, Rezaeian, Ghoddos, Ezatolahi, Mohebi, Taremi.
Belgium line-up: Courtois (GK), De Cuyper, Mechele, Ngoy, Meunier, Tielemans, Raskin, De Bruyne, Trossard, Lukaku, Saelemaekers
Belgium's finest. 👏🇧🇪
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 21, 2026
Find out where to watch the #FIFAWorldCup! 👇
Lamine Yamal kickstarted Spain's World Cup Group H campaign as he returned to the starting line-up to open the scoring for the European champions in a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
The Barcelona star needed just 10 minutes to get Spain up and running against the Saudis in Atlanta, before a Mikel Oyarzabal brace and a Hassan Al-Tambakti own goal ensured Luis de la Fuente's side took a big step towards the last 32 following a shock goalless stalemate in their opening group match against Cape Verde.
Belgium were again held to a draw in World Cup Group G as their meeting with Iran finished goalless in Los Angeles on Sunday.
The 2018 third-placed nation boast just two points from as many outings in North America and must win their final pool match against New Zealand next Friday to be sure of a spot in the last 32. A frustrating meeting for Belgium was compounded in the second half when defender Nathan Ngoy received a red card for a last-man foul.
Cape Verde fought back to earn a 2-2 draw with Uruguay in World Cup Group H on Sunday as the African archipelago maintained their stunning unbeaten start at the global showpiece.
The debutants took the lead in Miami against the two-time former winners when Kevin Pina rifled in their first-ever World Cup goal before Uruguay hit back on the stroke of half-time to lead through Maximiliano Araujo and Agustin Canobbio, but Cape Verdean Helio Varela netted just after the hour to ensure the spoils were shared in the tightly-contested pool.
Egypt earned the first World Cup win in their history by beating New Zealand 3-1 on Sunday, putting them on track to reach the knockout round for the first time.
Mohamed Salah, Mostafa Zico and Trezeguet were Egypt's scorers after Finn Surman had given New Zealand the lead after 15 minutes of the Group G match in Vancouver.
The victory puts Egypt top of Group G on four points and needing just a draw against Iran in Seattle on Friday to move into the last 32.
