World Cup 2026: Favorite Spain debuts, Belgium faces Egypt, Iran begins

Spain, a strong contender for the 2026 World Cup title alongside France, kicks off its tournament against Cape Verde, a nation making its debut in the competition. The match is scheduled for Monday at 6 p.m. at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, as part of Group H.

Later, Belgium, positioned as an outsider this year, will face Egypt in a significant Group G clash at Lumen Field in Seattle, California, at 9 p.m. In the early hours of Tuesday, Uruguay will aim to stay close to Spain by playing Saudi Arabia at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, with kickoff at midnight. Iran will launch its tournament at 3 a.m. against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California.

A key player to watch is Lamine Yamal, the highly touted young winger from FC Barcelona. This marks his first appearance in the prestigious competition. Despite a recent injury that sidelined him since late April, the 18-year-old has recovered and will be available for Spain's opening match. However, his coach, Luis de la Fuente, indicated that Yamal might begin the game on the bench. Yamal is also looking to bolster his candidacy for the next Ballon d'Or award, for which he placed second in 2025.

King Philippe of Belgium has rallied support for his national team, stating, "The entire nation is behind you." The Belgian team, a semi-finalist in the 2018 World Cup where they achieved their best-ever result by finishing third, experienced a significant disappointment in Qatar four years ago, being eliminated in the group stage. Now, under coach Rudi Garcia, the team aims to return to prominence after a strong qualifying phase.

The article also notes that 30 goals have been scored in the tournament so far.

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The entire nation is behind you.