2026-06-14T17:00:27+00:00
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Shafaq News
The first week of World Cup
2026 has produced an unusual trend: in three matches against European
opposition, Asian teams collected seven points from a possible nine, with South
Korea coming from behind to beat Czechia 2-1, Qatar earning a late 1-1 draw against
Switzerland, and Australia defeating Turkiye 2-0.
South Korea overturned a
deficit through Hwang In-beom and Oh Hyeon-gyu, while Qatar spent much of the
match under pressure before finding a late equalizer for the first World Cup
point in the country’s history. Australia absorbed long spells of Turkish possession
and still left Vancouver with a two-goal victory.
Taken individually, none of
the results would be enough to define a tournament, but together they arrive at
a moment when Asian football is represented more strongly than ever. Nine Asian
nations qualified for World Cup 2026, the highest total in the competition’s
history, while Jordan and Uzbekistan are making their tournament debuts. Before
the tournament, AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa described
2026 as Asia’s strongest-ever World Cup representation, while FIFA President
Gianni Infantino called the expanded format a “game changer for Asia.”
The early pattern has not been
limited to Asia, with Morocco, Africa’s 2022 semifinalists, holding Brazil 1-1
after Ismael Saibari scored first and Vinicius Junior rescued a point for the
five-time champions. North America also started strongly, with Mexico beating
South Africa 2-0 in the opener, the United States defeating Paraguay 4-1, and
Canada drawing 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The timing is notable for
Iraq, who return to the World Cup for the first time since 1986 and open
against Norway on Wednesday in a group that also includes France and Senegal.
Elsewhere, Jordan are preparing for their World Cup debut against Austria, Japan
face the Netherlands, while Saudi Arabia still have Uruguay and Spain ahead.
None of those matches become
easier because of what happened during the opening days or in 2022 –Norway
still have Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, Spain remain among the favorites
for the title, and the Netherlands have reached three World Cup finals. Iraq
assistant coach René Meulensteen has described the assignment as a
“David-vs-Goliath task.” But what has changed is the backdrop.
For decades, World Cup
discussions around teams outside Europe and South America often centered on
participation, respectable defeats, and the possibility of an upset, but the
early matches of 2026 have instead centered on points, results, and missed opportunities
to take even more.
The tournament is still young,
and a handful of matches will not settle any debate about the balance of power
in world football. But the opening days have already produced a question that
will follow the competition through the group stage: are these isolated
results, or another sign that the gap between football’s traditional powers and
the rest of the field is becoming harder to see?