The 2026 World Cup is off to an unexpectedly tight start, with several lower-ranked teams proving difficult to beat, and Through five days and 16 matches, underdogs have drawn with higher-ranked opponents in surprising results, according to Newsday and sportingnews.com.

Big Draws and Surprises

Four matches on June 15 ended in draws — the most in a single day of men’s World Cup history since 1958. These included Cape Verde. Ranked No. 67. Holding No. 2 Spain to a 0-0 tie in what many have called the biggest shock so far, per Newsday and sportingnews.com.

Other draws included No. 85 New Zealand tying No. 20 Iran 2-2, No. 61 Saudi Arabia drawing 1-1 with No. 16 Uruguay, and No. 29 Egypt holding No. 9 Belgium to a 1-1 result, according to Newsday. Saudi Arabia’s coach, Georgios Donis, noted that the Spain-Cape Verde draw might be the biggest surprise of the tournament.

Asia’s Unbeaten Streak

Asian teams have continued their strong performance from the 2022 World Cup. Saudi Arabia, which beat Argentina 2-1 in 2022, repeated a strong showing against South American teams by drawing 1-1 with Uruguay in Miami Gardens, Florida, according to 경향신문. In the same group, Cape Verde and Spain tied 0-0, giving all four teams in Group H one point after their opening matches.

Spain, a heavy favorite to win the 2026 tournament, was a -1500 favorite to beat Cape Verde according to pre-match odds, per Newsday. The draw has left many bracket predictions in disarray, should the World Cup follow a March Madness-style format.

Individual Milestones and Other Notes

While the focus has been on the team performances, individual milestones are also being reached. South Korea’s Son Heung-min scored his 100th Premier League goal on June 16, according to football-asian.com. The goal was his 142nd in official matches and came during a team win.

Meanwhile, former Arsenal forward Cole Palmer, now with Monaco, scored a brace in a 4-1 USA victory. With a sell-on clause for Arsenal, the English club will receive 17.5% of any future transfer, per OneFootball. After a modest start to the 2025/26 season, Palmer has found his form with 12 goals and three assists for Monaco in 2026.