Four teams managed to secure a draw, while the other four teams left without any points.
The Saudi national team was one of the closest Arab teams to achieving victory, after taking the lead against Uruguay before the match ended in a 1-1 draw, placing them second in Group H with one point.
The Qatari national team also snatched a valuable draw from Switzerland with a score of 1-1, achieving its first point in the history of its participation in the World Cup, to come second in Group B.
In Group C, Morocco held Brazil to a 1-1 draw, earning an important point that put them in second place, while Egypt followed the same path by drawing 1-1 with Belgium, occupying second place in Group G.
In contrast, the Iraqi national team suffered a 4-1 loss to Norway, placing them at the bottom of Group 9, while the Tunisian national team suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat against Sweden, leaving them in fourth and last place in Group 6.
In Group 10, the Algerian national team fell to Argentina with a score of 3-0, finishing in third place, while the Jordanian national team lost to Austria 3-1 in its first World Cup appearance, finishing in fourth place.
Despite the lack of victories, the first round witnessed historic moments for Arab football, most notably Ali Alwan scoring Jordan’s first goal in World Cup history, while all Arab teams succeeded in scoring except for Algeria.
At the end of the first round, four Arab teams are in the provisional qualifying positions for the round of 32, namely Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Morocco and Egypt, while Iraq, Tunisia, Algeria and Jordan need to achieve positive results in the next two rounds to maintain their hopes of continuing their journey in the World Cup.
Matches of the Arab national teams in the second round of the 2026 World Cup
Canada vs. Qatar: Thursday, June 19 (1:00) Mecca and Moscow time
Scotland vs. Morocco: Friday, June 20 (1:00)
Tunisia vs Japan: Sunday, June 21 (07:00)
Spain vs. Saudi Arabia: Sunday, June 21 (19:00)
New Zealand vs Egypt: Monday, June 22 (04:00)
France vs Iraq: Monday, June 23 (00:00 midnight)
Jordan vs Algeria: Tuesday, June 23 (06:00)
