The FIFA World Cup 2026 witnessed a historic first on Monday (and Tuesday morning) as all four matches played ended in draws, a rare occurrence that left every team in Groups G and H with a point after the opening round of fixtures.
The results marked the first time in tournament history that an entire day's schedule concluded without a single winner.
The day's final match saw Iran battle back twice to secure a 2-2 draw against New Zealand in Los Angeles.
New Zealand made a dream start when Elijah Just volleyed home from close range in the seventh minute after a clever setup by captain Chris Wood. Iran responded strongly and found a deserved equaliser in the 32nd minute through Ramin Rezaeian, whose close-range finish sparked celebrations among the largely Iranian crowd.
Just restored New Zealand's lead nine minutes after halftime, calmly lifting the ball over goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand following another assist from Wood. However, Iran refused to surrender and levelled once again in the 64th minute when Mohammad Mohebbi glanced a header in off the far post.
The result leaves Group G wide open after Belgium and Egypt also shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw earlier in the day.
Egypt looked set to claim their first-ever World Cup victory when Emam Ashour fired them into a 19th-minute lead with a stunning strike from outside the area. However, Belgium found an equaliser shortly after the introduction of Romelu Lukaku, with defender Mohamed Hany inadvertently turning a cross into his own net under pressure from the Belgian forward.
In Miami, Saudi Arabia produced another surprise result by holding two-time world champions Uruguay to a 1-1 draw.
Saudi Arabia took the lead just before halftime through defender Abdulelah Al-Amri after a costly mistake by veteran goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. Uruguay dominated possession throughout the contest and eventually found an equaliser through Maxi Araujo after Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais failed to deal with a save.
Perhaps the biggest shock of the day came in Atlanta, where World Cup debutants Cape Verde frustrated European champions Spain in a goalless draw.
Despite dominating possession and creating several opportunities, Spain were unable to break down the determined Cape Verde defence. The result marked a memorable point for the tiny island nation in its first-ever World Cup appearance and raised fresh questions about Spain's ability to translate dominance into goals on football's biggest stage.
With all eight teams level on one point after their opening matches, both Groups G and H are finely balanced heading into the next round of fixtures, setting the stage for an intriguing battle for qualification.