New Delhi: Day 11 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 delivered a mix of dominant victories, dramatic draws and standout individual performances, with Spain and Egypt emerging as the biggest winners while Iran and Cape Verde once again proved difficult opponents.
Spain bounced back emphatically from their disappointing opening draw against Cape Verde with a commanding 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia. Returning to the starting lineup after recovering from a hamstring injury, teenage sensation Lamine Yamal made an immediate impact by opening the scoring. Spain tightened their grip on the match when Mikel Oyarzabal struck twice in quick succession, helping the European champions establish a three-goal lead within the opening 24 minutes. An own goal early in the second half completed a comprehensive victory and reignited Spain’s campaign.
Iran continued their impressive unbeaten run on American soil with a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Belgium. Despite Belgium controlling possession for long periods, Iran remained organised and resilient. Mehdi Taremi had a goal ruled out after a VAR review, while Belgium’s task became even more difficult after defender Nathan Ngoy was sent off in the second half.
Cape Verde followed up their surprise draw against Spain with another impressive result, holding Uruguay to a 2-2 draw. Kevin Pina’s superb free-kick gave the island nation an early lead before Uruguay responded through Maxi Araujo and Agustin Canobbio. However, Cape Verde refused to back down and secured a deserved equaliser through Helio Varela midway through the second half.
The final match of the day produced a landmark moment for Egyptian football. Egypt recorded their first-ever FIFA World Cup victory with a 3-1 comeback win over New Zealand. After Finn Surman’s early header put New Zealand ahead, goals from Mostafa Zico, Mohamed Salah and Trezeguet turned the contest around.
The victory lifted Egypt to the top of Group G on four points and left them well placed to reach the knockout stage for the first time in their history, while Spain’s emphatic response sent a strong message to the rest of the tournament.
