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Ranking the Middle East and North African teams at World Cup 2026

match results and schedules.* The Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) will be represented by a record eight teams at the 2026 World Cup: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia

Why have so few European teams won so far?

2026 World Cup.** Monday's quartet of fixtures all ended level, with Spain held 0-0 by Cape Verde, Belgium drawing 1-1 with Egypt, Saudi Arabia sharing a 1-1 result with Uruguay

Who are the best young players to watch at FIFA World Cup 2026?

Saudi Arabia [Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters] *The FIFA World Cup begins on June 11. You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated [World Cup 2026](/fifa-world-cup-2026/) page with all the latest news, match

Ronaldo, Messi at World Cup: Who else is playing their final tournament?

Saudi Arabia v Mexico - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - November 30, 2022 Mexico's Guillermo Ochoa in action REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-06-01T133130Z_1099298868_RC2MWX9YG2FP_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-WORLDCUP-GROUPA-MEXICO-1780566891.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C569&quality=80) Guillermo Ochoa is the first Mexican to play at six World Cups

Tuesday briefing: How the UK’s military spending row exposes Starmer’s defence dilemma

2026  Players of Cape Verde celebrate. Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock ***On the pitch*** **Spain 0-0 Cape Verde**| No, that’s not a typo – the 64th-ranked World Cup

What to know about Cape Verde at World Cup 2026

Saudi Arabia** – Houston Stadium ![Former NHL player Wayne Gretzky displays Cape Verde during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (Dan Mullan/Pool Photo

Are Ronaldo, Messi still the largest World Cup draws, or is Mbappe bigger?

Saudi Arabia or Messi achieves in the US league. As for the relative marketability of the three icons of the game in 2026, that may well be decided by which of their teams

Spain vs Saudi Arabia: World Cup 2026 – Yamal, prediction, watch, kickoff

result in 1994 with a run to the round of 16. ## Spain vs Saudi Arabia prediction Stats provider Opta’s supercomputer has handed Spain a whopping 86.7 percent probability of winning against Saudi Arabia

The World Cup is starting. Here's what to know and how to watch

2026 FIFA World Cup in North America kick off Thursday with Mexico vs. South Africa and South Korea vs. Czech Republic. The first game for the United States will be against Paraguay on Friday

World Cup 2026: Full match schedule, groups, teams and start times

results and schedules.* After years of planning, preparations, and no shortage of controversy, the FIFA World Cup 2026 is about to kickoff. The event, cohosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, is the biggest

World Cup 2026: Saudi Arabia sack coach Herve Renard

match between Saudi Arabia and Iraq at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on October 14, 2025. (Photo by Abdel Ghani BASHIR / AFP)](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/AFP__20251014__78TV863__v4__HighRes__FblWc2026AsiaQualifiersKsaIrq-1776430087.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80) Saudi Arabia players celebrate with French coach Herve Renard

World Cup 2026: What time can fans in Europe, Middle East and Africa watch?

result, the 2026 World Cup will have 13 different kickoff times. You can use the [Al Jazeera Sport widget](/sports/2026/6/8/what-time-are-world-cup-2026-matches-in-my-time-zone) to find out exactly when your team is playing in your local time. ## What time

Argentina World Cup 2026 preview: Players to watch, group matches and squad

Saudi Arabia at the group stage in Qatar. Algeria, ranked 28th in the world, will be a tricky first test, while the 24th-ranked Austrians are no pushovers either. Jordan, playing in their first World

Messi, Argentina begin World Cup title defence against Algeria: All to know

Saudi Arabia en route to their third World Cup triumph four years ago. However, a group containing Algeria, Austria and Jordan should give them a good opportunity to ease into the tournament. While Messi

Barcelona vs Real Madrid: La Liga – preview, team news, start and lineups

World Cup 2025 football match between Real Madrid CF and Juventus FC at Hard Rock Stadium on July 1, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida.](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/afp_69fee49c884b-1778312348.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C578&quality=80) Valverde, left, and Tchouameni in a combination photo

How the FA helped US Soccer build its new home

Saudi Arabia football federation. "Matt and team have done an incredible job of taking us from where we were to where we are now from a strategy standpoint… and that gives us the foundation

South Africa play Czechia, seek first World Cup win after Mexico defeat

results by their African counterparts – [Morocco](/sports/2026/6/14/vinicius-drags-brazil-level-against-dominant-morocco-at-world-cup), [Cape Verde](/sports/2026/6/15/spain-held-to-shock-draw-by-cape-verde-in-their-world-cup-opener), [Egypt](/sports/2026/6/15/egypt-draw-1-1-with-belgium-at-world-cup-group-stage) and the [Ivory Coast](/sports/2026/6/15/ivory-coast-beat-ecuador-1-0-at-fifa-world-cup-with-amad-diallo) – the pressure is on Bafana Bafana to play catch-up. ## Czechia vs South Africa prediction Stats provider Opta

How bad is Lamine Yamal’s injury? Will he make Spain’s World Cup opener?

2026 may now look like for the Catalan. ## What happened to Lamine Yamal? Barcelona were looking to re-establish their nine-point advantage over Real when they played Celta Vigo on Wednesday, April 22. With

Is England v Costa Rica delay a sign of things to come?

result in them having to end up missing the game altogether. For England, with kick-off times in the group stage at 21:00 BST and 22:00 BST, the impact would be less major

Wars, sanctions and punishments: Iraq's 40-year World Cup wait

results than we did in 1986." Compared to the past team, this Iraq side, ranked 57th in the world, [is full of players with European experience](/sport/football/articles/cy526nrz39eo) such as Ali Al-Hamadi of Ipswich Town