All four World Cup matches on the same matchday ended in draws, producing a rare statistical anomaly that has been seen only once before in the tournament’s long history.
Spain were held to a 0-0 stalemate by debutants Cape Verde in Group H, with the European champions dominating possession (74 percent) and territory but unable to break through a disciplined defence.
READ: Lamouchi replaced, Renard named Tunisia coach
Belgium and Egypt shared the points after a 1-1 draw in Group G, a contest in which Egypt led through Emam Ashour before Romelu Lukaku’s introduction helped force an equaliser via an own goal from Mohamed Hany.
Read more: Soccermag
Saudi Arabia and Uruguay also finished level at 1-1 in Group H, with Abdulelah al-Amri giving Saudi Arabia the lead before Maxi Araujo struck late to salvage a point for Uruguay.
The most open game of the day came in Group G, where Iran and New Zealand played out a 2-2 draw in their opener at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Elijah Just scored twice for New Zealand, but Iran fought back through Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebbi in front of a 70,108-strong crowd, with the match played against a backdrop of pre-match political demonstrations outside the venue.
The collective result means all four fixtures ended level, a remarkably rare occurrence at World Cup level. It is only the second time in tournament history that a full matchday has produced nothing but draws, and the first time in 68 years that four consecutive matches on the same day have finished without a winner.
All 4 World Cup matches today ended in a draw 🤯
This is the 2nd time in World Cup History and the first time in exactly 68 years, there were 4 draws in a single day! pic.twitter.com/h4ZG9TwIp3
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) June 16, 2026
Read more sports stories from AfricaPicks
Picture: X/@WorldCupMedia
