By Kunle Solaja.

New Zealand will seek to achieve a long-awaited breakthrough on the FIFA World Cup stage when they face Iran in their Group G opener on Monday, with both teams aiming to make a strong start to their North American campaign.

The Oceania representatives arrive at the tournament carrying an unusual piece of World Cup history. Despite remaining unbeaten during their last appearance at the finals in South Africa in 2010, the All Whites failed to progress beyond the group stage after drawing all three of their matches against Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay.

Sixteen years later, New Zealand are still searching for their first-ever World Cup victory and will be determined to end that wait when they take on an experienced Iranian side.

Iran, competing in their fourth consecutive World Cup and seventh overall, have established themselves as one of Asia’s most consistent performers on the international stage. Their regular qualification for the finals underlines the growing strength and stability of the national team.

The Iranians will also be looking to make a statement in a competitive Group G that includes Belgium and Egypt. A positive result against New Zealand could prove crucial in the battle for qualification to the knockout rounds.

While Iran enter the contest with greater World Cup experience, New Zealand will draw confidence from their memorable 2010 campaign, when they emerged as one of only a handful of unbeaten teams at the tournament. Their inability to convert draws into victories remains a source of frustration, but it also serves as motivation for the current generation.

For New Zealand, victory over Iran would mark a historic first on football’s biggest stage and strengthen their hopes of advancing beyond the group phase for the first time.

Iran, meanwhile, will be eager to justify their status as one of Asia’s leading football nations by opening their campaign with three points and taking an early step toward the knockout rounds.

With history on the line for New Zealand and expectations high for Iran, Monday’s Group G encounter promises to be a compelling battle between two nations seeking to make their mark at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

By Kunle Solaja

Egypt captain Mohamed Salah will uniquely celebrate his 34th birthday this Monday when he leads the Pharaohs into their FIFA World Cup Group G opener against Belgium, with history already guaranteed before a ball is kicked.

The outgoing Liverpool forward becomes the first Egyptian player ever to make a FIFA World Cup appearance on his birthday, adding a personal milestone to one of the most important matches of his international career.

While Salah’s birthday will attract attention from football fans around the world, the Egyptian skipper will be focused on a far greater prize – helping his country secure their first-ever victory at the World Cup.

Egypt, making their fourth appearance at football’s biggest tournament, have yet to record a win since becoming the first African nation to participate in the competition in 1934. The clash with Belgium therefore presents an opportunity for both national and personal history.

A victory over the highly-rated Europeans would provide Salah with arguably the perfect birthday present and strengthen Egypt’s hopes of reaching the knockout rounds for the first time.

The former African Footballer of the Year remains the central figure in Egypt’s ambitions, having carried the nation’s hopes in recent major tournaments and qualification campaigns. His experience and leadership will be crucial against a Belgian side renowned for its consistency on the global stage.

Belgium enter the contest with an impressive record, having avoided defeat in a World Cup group-stage opener since 1986. Yet Egypt will draw inspiration from the occasion and from their talismanic captain, whose birthday appearance adds another memorable chapter to his distinguished international career.

For Egyptian supporters, the hope is that Salah’s special day will coincide with an even more significant celebration—a long-awaited first World Cup victory and a giant step towards making history in North America.

As the Pharaohs take the field, millions will be wishing their captain a happy birthday, but even more will be hoping he can mark the occasion with the goal or performance that finally delivers Egypt’s breakthrough on football’s grandest stage.

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

By Kunle Solaja

Tunisia became the second African team to suffer defeat at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a ruthless Sweden side powered to a 5-1 victory in their Group F opener on Sunday.

The North Africans followed South Africa, who lost to Mexico in the tournament’s opening match, onto the list of African teams beaten so far, while Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire have provided brighter moments for the continent with draws and victories, respectively.

Sweden, meanwhile, produced one of the most emphatic performances of the tournament, with midfielder Yasin Ayari scoring twice and strikers Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres also finding the net.

The five-goal haul marked Sweden’s highest-scoring World Cup performance since their 8-0 Demolition of Cuba at the 1938 finals.

Ironically, the star of the evening had strong North African roots. Ayari, whose father is Tunisian and whose mother is Moroccan, opened and closed the scoring with two spectacular strikes.

The breakthrough came after only seven minutes when Tunisia goalkeeper Mouhib Chamakh failed to deal with pressure from Isak while attempting to clear the ball. The loose ball eventually fell to Ayari, who unleashed a powerful effort into the net to give Sweden an early advantage.

The goal immediately put Tunisia’s game plan under strain.

Having set out to defend compactly and attack on the counter, the Eagles of Carthage found themselves chasing the game. Their problems deepened in the 30th minute when Sweden struck on a devastating counterattack.

After winning possession deep inside their own half, Gyokeres quickly released Isak down the left flank. The Newcastle United striker drove at defender Montassar Talbi before cutting inside and firing past Chamakh to double Sweden’s lead.

Tunisia struggled to create meaningful opportunities but found a lifeline just before halftime. Defender Omar Rekik rose superbly to guide a glancing header into the net from his side’s first shot on target, reducing the deficit to 2-1.

The goal briefly raised hopes of a Tunisian comeback, but Sweden reasserted control after the interval.

The dangerous partnership of Isak and Gyokeres finally clicked again on the hour mark when Isak dispossessed Ellyes Skhiri and set up Gyokeres for a simple finish that restored Sweden’s two-goal cushion.

Any lingering Tunisian hopes disappeared in the closing stages.

Substitute Mattias Svanberg made an immediate impact in the 84th minute, scoring shortly after coming off the bench. Although the goal was initially ruled out for offside, a VAR review overturned the decision and awarded Sweden their fourth goal.

Ayari then completed the rout deep into stoppage time with another stunning long-range strike that left Chamakh helpless and sent the Swedish supporters into celebration.

The result lifted Sweden to the top of Group F on goal difference ahead of Japan and the Netherlands, who drew 2-2 earlier in the day.

Sweden coach Graham Potter praised his side’s composure after Tunisia had reduced the deficit before halftime.

“It’s football, so you know anything can happen, especially at 2-1, but I thought the boys played with stability and calmness throughout the game,” Potter said.

He also reserved special praise for his attacking duo.

“They haven’t played that much together, so it’s going to get better the more they play. It’s nice for them to score goals, and it convinces them they are on the right path.”

For Tunisia coach Sabri Lamouchi, however, it was a painful night.

“It’s a difficult loss. It’s painful. Starting the competition with this bad of a loss is indeed difficult,” he admitted.

“We made too many mistakes, and this is not something that we can do. We are shooting ourselves in the foot; we are hurting ourselves.”

The defeat was particularly sobering for a Tunisian defence that had not conceded a single goal during their qualifying campaign.

Now, with a heavy defeat on the board, the Eagles of Carthage face an uphill battle to revive their hopes of reaching the knockout stage for the first time in their World Cup history.

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H