Record draws and Europe's slow start - is the World Cup 2026 lacking jeopardy?

Eight of the first 16 matches at the World Cup 2026 ended in draws, a record for this stage.

A historic week of draws Monday’s four matches all finished level, with Spain held 0-0 by Cape Verde, Belgium drawing 1-1 with Egypt, Saudi Arabia sharing a 1-1 result with Uruguay and Iran playing out an entertaining 2-2 draw with New Zealand. It marked the first time since 15 June 1958 that four World Cup matches on a single day had ended without a winner. The tournament has now produced eight draws from its opening 16 matches, surpassing the previous high of seven set in 1974, 1982 and 1986. ## Expanded format lowers early stakes The expanded 48-team format may have contributed to the high number of draws. With only 16 of the 48 teams eliminated after the group stage, the risk attached to an opening draw is reduced compared to past tournaments. Teams can qualify for the last 32 with just three points, meaning three draws would almost certainly secure advancement. According to Football Meets Data, with three points, a goal difference of -1 offers an 87.5% chance of progression. That drops to 69.4% with a -2 difference, and 47.3% at -3. ## Europe struggles in North America Belgium’s draw with Egypt made them the seventh of 10 European teams to fail to win their opening match. Germany, Scotland and Sweden are the only three European teams to kick off their campaigns with wins, beating Curacao, Haiti and Tunisia, respectively. England, Croatia, France, Norway, Austria and Portugal are still to play their opening games. European nations, favored in eight of the 10 matches, would have been expected to perform better. ## Heat and pitches under scrutiny Belgium’s draw with Egypt in Seattle took place during one of the city’s hottest days, with temperatures climbing above 30C at a lunchtime kick-off. Belgium manager Rudi Garcia refused to blame the conditions, stating: 'Whether it is 10 degrees or 30 degrees, we should have done better.' He did acknowledge the effect on the pitch, adding: 'The grass really needed watering. It was very dry and as a result it was slowing the ball down.' Switzerland’s coach Murat Yakin pointed to his side’s wastefulness after a 1-1 draw with Qatar, despite generating 26 shots and an expected goals figure of 3.24. ## South America’s winless start Only three of the 10 European teams to have played so far have won, while only two have lost. Meanwhile, no South American team has managed a win at this stage. Brazil, the most successful team in World Cup history with five titles, were held by Morocco, while Uruguay drew with Saudi Arabia. Paraguay lost 4-1 to tournament co-hosts the USA. Argentina and Colombia are still to play. Asia’s representatives remain unbeaten, and African nations have claimed points from several higher-ranked opponents, highlighting the difficulty for traditional powers. ## Brazilian legend questions performance Former Uruguay international Gus Poyet expressed disappointment with Brazil’s display against Morocco, saying: 'I'm disappointed [with Brazil]. I was surprised how bad technically they were. I don't know if it was the pitch, maybe the pitch didn’t help but they were missing passes, simple passes that you would expect the Brazilian players to do well.' ## Second chances remain for all Despite the slow starts, no matches are decided after the first game. With two more group matches to come, all teams have ample opportunity to recover and secure their place in the knockout rounds. The World Cup 2026 continues with fixtures and group standings still in flux.