LIVE | FIFA World Cup 2026, Day 11: Spain, Belgium eye knockout push as Uruguay take centre stage

Day 11 action will begin with Spain taking on Saudi Arabia in Group H, before Belgium face Iran in a key Group G clash.

Summary

Welcome to TNIE's live coverage of Day 11 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Day 11 action will begin with Spain taking on Saudi Arabia in Group H, before Belgium face Iran in a key Group G clash. Uruguay will then meet Cape Verde in the other Group H encounter, with New Zealand rounding off the day's action against Egypt in Group G.

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.

El golazo de la madrugada es obra de @daniolmo7.

¡¡Vaya chirloooo!!#VamosEspaña | #CopaMundialFIFA pic.twitter.com/H3DvMOWJQF

— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) June 21, 2026

More than just happy to be here: New Zealand hunts first-ever knockout run

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.”

The future is now for 18-year-old striker on Egypt's World Cup squad

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.

Spain target convincing win to dispel World Cup doubts

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."

FIFA draws criticism as Infantino clocks up air miles at World Cup

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.