World Cup Day 5 Full of Surprises as Cape Verde Stuns Spain and Iran Is Booed

Day 5 of the 2026 World Cup ended with no winners in any of the four matches, but plenty of shocks. Cape Verde held Spain, the tournament favorite and European champion, to a 0-0 draw. Egypt came close to its first-ever World Cup win but settled for 1-1 with Belgium. Uruguay also disappointed, drawing 1-1 with Saudi Arabia. Iran and New Zealand finished 2-2 in a match that drew as much attention for politics as for football.

In the Iran-New Zealand game, the political backdrop was unmistakable. It took place the same day a memorandum of understanding was announced between the United States and Iran. Dozens of fans waved pre-revolution Shah flags, despite a FIFA ban. Before kickoff, Iran’s anthem was met with boos from part of the crowd and cheers from other sections. The stands also included several Israeli flags, alongside Palestinian and Iranian flags, and one banner combining the flags of Israel, Iran, and the United States.

On the field, Iran was twice behind after goals by Elijah Just, but Ramin Rezaeian and Mehdi Mohebi equalized. Both teams will chase their first win later in the group stage, with remaining matches against Egypt and Belgium.

Spain were frustrated by Cape Verde and by 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who became the oldest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet on World Cup debut. Belgium salvaged a point against Egypt after Mohamed Salah set up Aymen Ashour in the 20th minute, only for Romelu Lukaku, who had just come on as a substitute, to force the equalizer via an own goal. Uruguay struggled to break down Saudi Arabia’s tight defense, but Abd al-Omari scored in the 41st minute after Fernando Muslera made a poor save. Maxi Araujo equalized after Marcelo Bielsa pushed more attackers forward, and Saudi goalkeeper Al Owais produced a series of saves to preserve the draw.