Strong Arab weekend on the pitch as Morocco draw, Algeria rout and Egypt beat Saudi Arabia

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published March 29, 2026

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Arab national teams remained at the centre of the football conversation on Sunday after Morocco, Algeria and Egypt produced three eye-catching results in late-week international friendlies, ranging from a hard-fought draw to a dominant attacking display and a convincing away win. The matches came as part of World Cup 2026 preparations for qualified sides including Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

In Madrid, Morocco drew 1-1 with Ecuador in the team’s first match under new coach Mohamed Ouahbi. Ecuador took the lead through John Yeboah in the 48th minute before Neil El Aynaoui scored a late equaliser in the 88th, giving Morocco a measured but important response at the start of a new technical era.

Algeria delivered the standout performance of the three, thrashing Guatemala 7-0 in Genoa. Amine Gouiri scored twice, while Riyad Mahrez added a penalty and the other goals came from Achref Abada, Houssem Aouar, Farès Ghedjemis and Ahmed Benbouali. Reuters also noted that Gouiri had returned from the injury that ruled him out of the Africa Cup of Nations and made an immediate impact.

Egypt, meanwhile, beat Saudi Arabia 4-0 in Jeddah despite the absence of Mohamed Salah. The goals came from Islam Eissa, Trézéguet, Zizo and Omar Marmoush, in a result Reuters described as a heavy home defeat for Saudi Arabia.

Taken together, the results offered three distinct messages ahead of the final stretch of World Cup preparation: Morocco showed resilience under a new coach, Algeria underlined their attacking sharpness, and Egypt demonstrated depth and authority even without their biggest star. That is why the Arab football weekend has remained one of the strongest talking points today. This is an editorial inference based on the match results and their broader competitive context.