In the first five days of the 2026 World Cup, underdogs have produced surprising draws. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
Teams ranked 61st, 67th and 85th in FIFA's world rankings were heavy underdogs in their first matches. None of them won, but none lost either. Eight of 16 matches ended in draws, the highest percentage in World Cup history.
On Monday, all four matches ended in ties — the most in a single day of men's World Cup play. Cape Verde drew 0-0 with Spain, Saudi Arabia drew 1-1 with Uruguay, New Zealand drew 1-1 with Iran, and Egypt drew 2-2 with Belgium.
These draws continued the upsets from the opening days. Earlier, Morocco drew 0-0 with Portugal, and Costa Rica drew 1-1 with Brazil.