2026 WorldParity Reigns As World Cup Sees Four Draws For First Time Since 1958
BERLIN, June 16 (Bernama-dpa) -- Four matches ended in draws at the World Cup on Monday for the first time since 1958, as concerns over European dominance at the expanded 48-team tournament continued to be brushed away, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
A flurry of surprise results saw debutants Cape Verde hold European champions Spain to a goalless draw in Atlanta, while Egypt's match with Belgium finished 1-1 in Seattle.
It was the same scoreline in Miami, where Uruguay equalised late to deny Saudi Arabia, and Iran played out a highly charged, entertaining 2-2 draw with New Zealand in Los Angeles.
In a post on X, FIFA said this was only the second instance of four draws occurring on the same day at the World Cup and the first time in exactly 68 years.
The group stage at the 1958 edition in Sweden also saw four draws in a single day, coincidentally on the exact same date of June 15, when the hosts' match against Wales finished goalless, Germany drew 2-2 with Northern Ireland, England's tie with Austria finished with the same scoreline, and the game between Paraguay and Yugoslavia ended 3-3.
"Perfectly balanced, as all things should be," read FIFA's post on Monday, in an awkward reference to a quote from arch-villain Thanos in Marvel's "Avengers" films.
Five days into the 2026 World Cup, fears of "uninteresting games", in the words of UEFA boss Aleksander Ceferin, have not manifested.
Minnows such as Haiti, Qatar and Cape Verde have performed far beyond expectations, while even Curaçao were briefly able to scare Germany before succumbing 7-1.
The two dominant continents in global football -- Europe and South America -- have suffered several setbacks, with South Korea defeating Czech Republic 2-0, fancied Ecuador losing 1-0 to Ivory Coast and five-time champions Brazil being held by Morocco.
There have also been several high-scoring matches, such as the 2-2 draw between the Netherlands and Japan, the convincing 4-1 win for hosts the United States over Paraguay and Sweden's 5-1 thrashing of Tunisia.
And the tournament has already seen two major upsets, with Australia’s 2-0 win over dark horses Türkiye and Cape Verde’s brilliant rearguard effort against Spain.
-- BERNAMA-dpa
