Morocco, Egypt impress with notable draws despite winless World Cup start for Mideast teams
Several teams from the Middle East and North Africa could advance to the knockout stage under the new format, and Morocco climbed in the rankings despite a tie in its opener.
Teams from the Middle East and North Africa opened the FIFA World Cup without a victory, though several secured notable draws against higher-ranked opponents as attention now turns to a difficult slate of upcoming matches — including a regional showdown between Jordan and Algeria.
Qatar, hosts of the 2022 World Cup, opened its campaign with a draw against Switzerland on June 13, while Morocco held fellow title contender Brazil to a draw the same day. Tunisia suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat to Sweden on June 14, while Turkey fell 2-0 to Australia.
Egypt earned one of the region’s strongest results on June 15, drawing Belgium 1-1 despite Belgium entering the tournament ranked ninth in the world. Saudi Arabia also secured a 1-1 draw against Uruguay that day, while Iran played New Zealand to a 2-2 draw.
Jordan lost to Austria 3-1 on Tuesday in its World Cup debut, with Ali Olwan becoming the first Jordanian ever to score in the tournament.
His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein, accompanied by Her Royal Highness Princess Rajwa Al Hussein and members of the Royal family, attends Jordan’s national football team’s first match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, against Austria.#Jordan pic.twitter.com/Yfzb246Pka
— RHC (@RHCJO) June 17, 2026
Algeria lost to defending champions Argentina 3-0 on Tuesday, while Iraq fell to Norway 4-1.
What’s next? Qatar will face co-hosts Canada on Thursday evening. Canada drew in its opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina and is heavily favored to win in betting markets.
Morocco will face Scotland on Friday, and the match could prove crucial to the North African squad’s quest to advance to the Round of 32. Scotland defeated Haiti in its first match, but Morocco is favored to win Friday’s game.
Morocco moved from seventh to sixth place in the FIFA men’s rankings after the tie against Brazil, its highest ranking ever.
Turkey is facing Paraguay on Friday. The South American country lost 4-1 to the US in its opener and Turkey are marginal favorites.
Tunisia will face Japan on Saturday. Japan tied against the Netherlands in its first game but is favored to defeat Tunisia.
On Sunday, Iran will face Belgium and is the underdog against the European country. Saudi Arabia will take on Spain the same day, while Egypt will play New Zealand.
Spain is considered among the favorites to win the tournament, but they shockingly tied Cabo Verde 0-0 in its opener. Saudi Arabia has pulled off upsets before, and defeated eventual champions Argentina in the 2022 Group Stage. Spain is nonetheless heavily favored to defeat the Saudi side on Sunday.
Egypt is considered the favorite to defeat New Zealand, according to betting markets, and a win would bode well for its chances to advance to the Round of 32. Egypt will face Iran in its final Group Stage match on June 26, and is expected to be favored in that matchup.
Iraq will face France on Monday. France is the leading favorite to win the whole thing and Iraq is a massive underdog. Jordan and Algeria will play against one another the same day, with the North African side coming in as slight favorites.
A number of MENA teams could advance out of the Group Stage due to the expanded format, in which the top two teams from each group and eight third-place teams make it to the knockout stage.
Know more: Iranian forward Mehdi Torabi’s visa expired after the match against New Zealand, but the US sports outlet ESPN reported on Tuesday that he later received a new one, citing American and Iranian officials.
The Iranian team received its visas for the United States just days before the World Cup began amid the war between the US and Iran, with Trump administration officials expressing concerns that affiliates of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may use the tournament to enter the country.
The tournament is being jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, though all of Iran’s matches are in the US. The Iranian team is currently based in Tijuana, Mexico, and reportedly needs to enter and exit the US on the day of its matches.
Controversy broke out at Iran’s first match when stadium officials appeared to confiscate an Israeli flag flown by an attendee, according to a viral social media video. Images from Getty showed other Iranian, Israeli and Palestinian flags being flown at the event, and members of the Iranian-American community are divided as to whether to support the team due to its association with the Islamic Republic.
