Key facts
- Multiple underdog teams secured draws against heavily favored opponents in the World Cup.
- Spain was held to a 0-0 draw by Cape Verde, the biggest shock of the tournament so far.
- Four matches on Monday ended in ties, marking the most in a single day since 1958.
- Lower-ranked teams like New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and Bosnia and Herzegovina also forced draws.
- Only one match saw a team ranked 10 or more spots below its opponent win: Ivory Coast over Ecuador.
The FIFA World Cup has seen a surprising number of draws and upsets in its opening matches, challenging pre-tournament expectations and potentially impacting team advancements. Heavily favored nations have struggled to secure victories against lower-ranked opponents, with several games ending in ties that could be considered major shocks.
Monday alone featured four draws, the most in a single day of men's World Cup play since 1958. The most significant upset was Cape Verde, ranked 67th, holding World Cup favorite Spain to a 0-0 draw. Other notable ties included No. 85 New Zealand against No. 20 Iran (2-2), No. 61 Saudi Arabia against No. 16 Uruguay (1-1), and No. 29 Egypt against No. 9 Belgium (1-1).
These results have already impacted many predictions and brackets, similar to upsets seen in college basketball tournaments. While no teams are eliminated after the first match, the draws put pressure on these nations in subsequent group-stage games, as only the top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-place finishers, advance to the knockout stage.
Earlier in the tournament, other unexpected ties occurred, such as Qatar (No. 56) drawing with Switzerland (No. 19) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (No. 64) tying Canada (No. 30). Even matches between closely ranked teams, like Japan (No. 18) and Netherlands (No. 8) ending 2-2, and Brazil (No. 6) drawing with Morocco (No. 7) 1-1, contributed to the trend of tight contests.
South American teams have also had a difficult start, with Ecuador losing 1-0 to Ivory Coast and Paraguay suffering a 4-1 defeat to the United States. Ecuador's loss ended a 19-game unbeaten streak. The United States also secured a 2-0 victory over Mexico. Coaches acknowledged the difficulty of opening World Cup matches and the strength of all participating teams, with Spain's coach noting that 'there are no small opponents here.'