Winless Start for Arab Nations at 2026 FIFA World Cup

TDT | Manama

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Arab teams have endured a mixed start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaigns, with four nations collecting valuable points from their opening matches while four others began the tournament with defeats.

The 2026 edition has already marked a historic milestone for Arab football, with a record eight Arab nations competing on the world stage: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Among the standout results was Morocco's impressive 1-1 draw against five-time world champions Brazil in Group C. The Atlas Lions started bravely and repeatedly pinned Brazil back with aggressive attacking play. Their positive approach was rewarded in the 21st minute when Ismael Saibari delicately lobbed goalkeeper Alisson Becker to give Morocco the lead. Brazil responded 11 minutes later through a moment of brilliance from Vinicius Junior, whose powerful right-footed strike beat Yassine Bounou to level the scores, but the African side held firm to secure a valuable point.

Egypt also made a positive start, earning a 1-1 draw against Belgium in Group G. Saudi Arabia matched that result in Group H after holding Uruguay to a draw, while Qatar claimed the first World Cup point in their history with a dramatic 1-1 draw against Switzerland in Group B. The Swiss looked set for victory and missed several chances to put the game beyond reach before captain Boualem Khoukhi headed home a late equaliser in the dying minutes.

Elsewhere, Algeria endured a difficult opening match, suffering a 3-0 defeat to Argentina in Group J. Lionel Messi scored all three goals for the South Americans, drawing level with the World Cup's all-time scoring record of 16 goals.

Iraq also fell to defeat, losing 4-1 to Norway in Group I. Erling Haaland stole the headlines on his World Cup debut, scoring twice as Norway secured all three points despite a spirited performance from the Lions of Mesopotamia.

Jordan's first-ever World Cup appearance ended in a 3-1 defeat to Austria. Although Ali Olwan found the net for the Jordanians, they were unable to mark their historic debut with a positive result.

Tunisia suffered the heaviest defeat among the Arab representatives, falling 5-1 to Sweden in Group F. The result prompted swift action from the Tunisian Football Federation, which appointed Hervé Renard as head coach ahead of the team's next fixture. The Frenchman arrives with an impressive pedigree, having guided Zambia to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations title and Ivory Coast to continental glory in 2015. He is also widely remembered for masterminding Saudi Arabia's stunning 2-1 victory over eventual world champions Argentina at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, one of the greatest upsets in tournament history.