World Cup Match Day 5: Spain, Uruguay, Belgium, Egypt Ready For Spotlight
Several elite teams open their campaigns at the 2026 FIFA Mens World Cup on Monday with four games on the docket. Reigning European champion Spain opens the day against debutant Cape Verde in Atlanta. The talented Belgium team then takes on Egypt in Seattle before the action heads to Miami where two-time champion Uruguay face Saudi Arabia. Finally, the day concludes in Los Angeles where two veteran-heavy teams in Iran and New Zealand both have eyes on qualifying for their first World Cup knockout round. Spain vs. Cape Verde: How To Watch When: Monday, June 15, 12 p.m. ET Where: Atlanta TV: FOX Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One Cape Verde could not have asked for a more difficult assignment in its first ever World Cup game when it takes on one of the pre-tournament favorites Spain in Atlanta on Monday. The tiny island nation off the coast of Africas northwest coast has a population of just over 500,000 and was one of the surprises in the CAF qualifying tournament when it convincingly won its group to qualify for the World Cup. During its campaign, Cape Verde went 7-4-1 and finished four points ahead of traditional African powers Cameroon. This was especially surprising given the Blue Sharks failure to qualify for the 2025 African Cup of Nations where it finished last in its qualifying group. Most of Cape Verdes team plays in the smaller European leagues. Fullback Sidny Lopes Cabral joined Benfica this year and has already featured for the clubs first team. Captain Ryan Mendes, 36, is by far the national teams most accomplished player, having scored 22 goals for Cape Verde while also having played for clubs such as Lille or Nottingham Forest. Only 12 players on the roster were born in Cape Verde. The remaining 14 players were born in countries such as the Netherlands, Portugal, France, and the United States (backup goalkeeper CJ Dos Santos was born in Philadelphia). With an average of 29.3, Cape Verde has one of the oldest teams at the World Cup. Cape Verde is managed by Pedro Leito Brito, commonly known as Bubista, who has spent his entire coaching career in Cape Verde. After leading the team to qualification for the World Cup, Bubista was named the 2025 CAF Manager of the Year. Currently ranked 67th in the latest FIFA rankings, Cape Verde will open against second-ranked Spain. Spain qualified for the World Cup without much problem, topping UEFA Group E over Trkiye, Bulgaria, and Georgia without losing a game. Two years ago, Spain won Euro 2024 with knockout wins over Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, before defeating England in the final. Spain is managed by Luis de la Fuente, who took over shortly after the teams lackluster 2022 World Cup where it lost to Morocco on penalties in the round of 16. De la Fuente has a lot of firepower at his disposal, including star players Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams who both have been dealing with injuries but who should be ready for Mondays game. Yamal, 18, is arguably the best teenager in the world (ranked No. 1 in our Top 100 World Cup players) and was the Ballon dOr runner-up in 2025 after leading Barcelona to the La Liga title. With a highly competitive midfield consisting of Rodri, Pedri, and Fabin Ruiz, backed by an elite defensive record featuring five clean sheets in their last six competitive games, Spain is going to be very difficult for any team to defeat, let alone a Cape Verde team that is likely just happy to be at the tournament. Spain vs. Cape Verde: Player to Watch Mikel Oyarzabal: The Real Sociedad forward is de la Fuentes top striker for good reason. Since the start of 2025, Oyarzabal has 12 goals in 12 games for Spain. In 2024, he scored Spains winning goal in its 2-1 victory over England in the final of Euro 2024. Given his form in recent years, he is on the short list of many expert picks to win the Golden Boot at this World Cup. Oyarzabal could start racking up his goals in this game as Cape Verde should have a very difficult time trying to stop him. Belgium vs. Egypt: How To Watch When: Monday, June 15, 3 p.m. ET Where: Seattle TV: FOX Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One The second game on Mondays docket brings us to Seattle for an intriguing matchup between teams who are widely considered to be the two best in Group G. Belgium, currently ranked ninth in the FIFA World Rankings, is hoping this tournament will mark the arrival of a promising new generation of players. The Red Devils finished third in 2018 at what was the peak moment of its previous and storied generation. In 2022, the aging core remained and Belgium failed to get out of the group stage. Euro 2024 was only a marginal improvement with a second-place group finish and an elimination at the hands of France in the first knockout round. While four players remain from the "old guard" (Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Axel Witsel were all on the 2014 team), Belgiums fate will likely be decided by a talented group of young players that includes Manchester Citys Jrmy Doku who is one of the best wingers in the world. Led by French head coach Rudi Garcia since 2025, Belgium qualified for the World Cup by winning UEFA Group J in undefeated fashion over Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, and Liechtenstein. The Red Devils have been extremely impressive in its set of 2026 friendlies defeating the United States 5-2 in March and then wins over Croatia 2-0 and Tunisia 5-0 in its two tune-up friendlies. That has only raised the expectations for the team at this World Cup. Belgiums opponents on Monday are 29th-ranked Egypt, who will return to the World Cup for the fourth time after missing out in 2022. The Pharaohs have never advanced out of the group stage but are favored to do so in this 48-team format. Coached by Hossam Hassan (who is the Pharaohs all-time leading scorer), Egypt went unbeaten in qualifying with an 8-2-0 record and outscored opponents 20-2 and keeping eight clean sheets. At the African Cup of Nations earlier this year, Egypt advanced to the semifinals before losing 1-0 to Senegal. The top storyline for Egypt at this World Cup is former Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah, who celebrates his 34th birthday on this matchday. As one of the most successful players in African history, Salah led Egypt with nine goals in qualifying. His 67 international goals are just two behind Hassans record of 69. Belgium vs. Egypt: Player to Watch Jrmy Doku: The Manchester City winger is one of the most talented players at this World Cup and his speed and dribbling ability should alone make Belgium a difficult team to stop. The Antwerp-born Doku, 24, was influential in World Cup qualifiers this cycle scoring two goals apiece in wins over Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein. At Euro 2024, Belgium only played four games, but Doku completed a tournament-leading 34 dribbles. This World Cup will be another huge test for Doku as he will try to prove that he is capable of leading Belgium on a run deep into the knockouts. Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay: How to Watch When: Monday, June 15, 6 p.m. ET Where: Miami TV: FS1 Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One Two-time World Cup champion Uruguay comes into this tournament ranked No. 16 in the latest FIFA World Rankings and looking to climb back into the elite levels of world soccer. La Celeste will take its first steps in the tournament on Monday when it takes on Saudi Arabia at Miami Stadium in Group H action. Uruguay finished fourth in CONMEBOLs single-table qualifying tournament and benefited by impressive back-to-back wins over Brazil and Argentina to set the tone the rest of the way. It formally clinched its spot in the tournament in the second-to-last matchday with a 3-0 win over Peru. The friendlies after the World Cup have been up and down for Uruguay as it lost 5-1 to the United States in November but played respectably in draws to England and Algeria in March. Uruguay is led by Argentine head coach Marcelo Bielsa who will be coaching his third World Cup after leading Argentina in 2002 and Chile in 2010. The Rosario native is one of the most influential soccer managers of this generation, and he has helped bring some defensive structure to Uruguay as it moves on from the great attacking players such as Luis Surez and Edinson Cavani who led the team to so much success the past 20 years. Bielsas Uruguay team is led by defenders such as Jos Gimnez of Atltico Madrid, who is expected to earn his 100th cap against Saudi Arabia, or Ronald Arajo, who has been a mainstay at Barcelona since 2019. These players have been a major reason why Uruguay only conceded 12 goals in 18 World Cup qualifiers and will be difficult for opponents to break down this summer. Saudi Arabia, currently ranked 61st by FIFA, comes into this game as a significant underdog. The Green Falcons will be participating in its third straight World Cup and seventh overall. The only time it advanced out of group stage was at its debut in 1994. But one of Saudi Arabias greatest World Cup achievements occurred in 2022 when it defeated eventual champions Argentina in the group stage opener. This past World Cup qualifying was a difficult road for Saudi Arabia and after poor results in the recent March friendlies, head coach Herv Renard was fired and replaced by Georgios Donis of Greece. Donis has selected a World Cup roster where 25 of 26 players come from the domestic league of Saudi Arabia. The lone exception is Lens fullback Saud Abdulhamid. The hope for Donis is that the players will have more familiarity since they are all coming from the same league. That makes Saudi Arabia a bit of a wild card in this group and it will likely be Saudia Arabia and Cape Verde vying for third place behind Uruguay and Spain. A third place finish could likely see them go through. Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay: Player to Watch Darwin Nez:The former Liverpool forward now plays for Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia and will know most of his opponents on Monday. The question is whether Nunez can fill the attacking void left by Suarez and Cavani no longer with the team. Nez led Uruguay in qualifying with five goals but those goals all came in 2023. He has not scored in his last 13 appearances for Uruguay, dating back to the 2024 Copa Amrica. At his best Nez is a good forward who can be effective at the international level. At his worst, he can be very wasteful. Uruguays success at this World Cup likely hinges on his form and we will learn a lot about where Nez is at in hisgame on Monday. Iran vs. New Zealand: How to Watch When: Monday, June 15, 9 p.m. ET Where: Los Angeles TV: FS1 Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One Mondays slate of games concludes at Los Angeles Stadium where Iran takes on New Zealand in Group G. It features two teams who have both played in multiple World Cups but who have never advanced out of the group stage. With this expanded format in 2026, advancing remains a possibility with just a single win. That makes this game critical for both teams. New Zealand arrives at this World Cup as the lowest ranked team in the FIFA World Rankings at 85. The Kiwis will be playing in their third World Cup and first since 2010 where they drew all three group stage games but failed to qualify for the knockouts. This New Zealand team is still heavily dependent on veteran leadership with Chris Wood continuing to be the teams best player and captain. Wood was a member of Kiwis 2010 World Cup. At age 34, Wood has earned 90 caps and scored 45 goals for his national team. He is New Zealands all-time leader in both categories and led the team with nine goals in World Cup qualifying. After a great season with Nottingham Forest in 2024/25 where he scored 20 Premier League goals, a knee surgery limited him in 2025/26 where he only returned in April, scoring twice in 11 games. The good news for Wood is that in 2026 he now has more support. Attacking midfielder Eli Just, 26, has been providing New Zealand with another point of attack that the team did not have in its previous World Cup campaigns. Just was a finalist for the Scottish Premierships player of the season for Motherwell after scoring seven goals and adding seven assists. For the national team, he was the second-leading scorer in World Cup qualifying with four goals, and he scored in a surprising 4-1 win over Chile in March. Iran, currently ranked 20th in the FIFA World Rankings, is at its fourth consecutive World Cup, but has never gotten out of the group stage, despite getting a win at each of the last two World Cups and then against the United States in 1998. Iran was dominant in AFCs World Cup qualifying with an unbeaten record of 10-4-0. As a country front and center of geopolitical tensions, many people will be watching Iran to see how the players respond. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei has been leading the team since 2023 and has opted to bring a very experienced squad who should not be lost in the moment. On the 26-player roster, 14 were also on the 2022 World Cup team, 10 were on the 2018 team, and two players remain from the 2014 squad. Iranian fans should feel optimistic after the team swept both of its World Cup tune-up friendlies in Antalya, Trkiye. The first was a 31 victory over the Gambia and that was followed by a 20 win against Mali. Fullback Ramin Rezaeian, 36, scored in both games. Iran vs. New Zealand: Player to Watch Despite the reliance on veterans, New Zealands youngest and most promising player is central defender Tyler Bindon, 21, who is signed to Nottingham Forest but spent the most recent season on loan at Sheffield United in the English Championship. On the international side, Bindon scored two goals in World Cup qualifying and featured at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Bindon has an interesting background. His mother, Jenny Bindon, was born and raised in the United States but obtained her New Zealand citizenship and earned 77 appearances as the goalkeeper for New Zealands womens national soccer team. His father, Grant Bindon, was the captain of New Zealands national volleyball team. His maternal grandfather served in the United States Army in the Vietnam War and was awarded two Purple Hearts. A dual citizen of New Zealand and the United States, Bindon spent several seasons with the youth teams of Los Angeles FC and even made five appearances with U.S. youth national teams before ultimately deciding to follow the footsteps of both his parents and represent New Zealand on the global stage. He is now part of the countrys new generation that will attempt to lead the Kiwis to its first World Cup win and perhaps a spot in the knockouts.
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