Argentina Perfect as Austria and Algeria Serve Up Group Stage Classic
Defending champions Argentina continued their title defence in emphatic fashion, completing a flawless Group J campaign with three wins from three. Austria secured second place, while Algeria kept their World Cup hopes alive by qualifying as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams after a thrilling final-day encounter.
La Albiceleste opened with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Algeria before defeating Austria 2-0 to seal qualification with a game to spare. They rounded off the group stage with another convincing performance, beating Jordan 3-1 to finish with a perfect nine points, seven goals scored and only one conceded.
Austria made a strong start to their campaign by defeating Jordan 3-1 but fell 2-0 to Argentina in their second fixture. On the final matchday, they were involved in one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament, battling to a dramatic 3-3 draw against Algeria. The point proved enough to secure second place and automatic qualification for the Round of 32.
Algeria recovered from their opening defeat to Argentina by edging Jordan 2-1 before producing a spirited display against Austria in a six-goal thriller. Their 3-3 draw earned them a valuable point, and with four points overall, the Desert Foxes secured one of the tournament’s eight best third-placed qualification spots to reach the knockout stages.
Jordan’s campaign ended in disappointment after defeats to Austria, Algeria and Argentina saw them finish bottom of the group without a point, bringing their FIFA World Cup journey to an end.
Final Group J Standings
| GROUP J | |||||||
| TEAM | MP | W | D | L | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | ARGENTINA | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 |
| 2 | AUSTRIA | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | ALGERIA | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 4 |
| 4 | JORDAN | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -5 | 0 |
Argentina march into the Round of 32 with a perfect group-stage record, Austria qualify as runners-up, and Algeria also progress after an entertaining final-day draw capped off one of the most dramatic groups of the tournament. Jordan are eliminated after finishing bottom of Group J.
Colombia Top Group K as DR Congo Make History with Knockout Qualification
Colombia finished top of Group K with an unbeaten record, while Portugal secured second place and DR Congo made history by reaching the FIFA World Cup knockout stages for the first time ever.
Colombia began their campaign with a convincing 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan before edging DR Congo 1-0 in a closely contested encounter. They rounded off an impressive group stage with a goalless draw against Portugal, finishing with seven points to claim first place.
Portugal entered the tournament as one of the favourites but had to settle for second after recording just one victory from their three group-stage matches. A 1-1 draw with DR Congo was followed by an emphatic 5-0 win over Uzbekistan before another stalemate, this time against Colombia, saw them finish unbeaten on five points and advance to the Round of 32.
The story of the group belonged to DR Congo. After earning a valuable draw against Portugal and suffering a narrow defeat to Colombia, they produced a superb 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan on the final matchday. Their four-point haul was enough to secure one of the tournament’s eight best third-placed qualification spots, sealing the nation’s first-ever place in the FIFA World Cup knockout stages.
Uzbekistan endured a difficult campaign, losing all three matches to finish bottom of the group without a point.
Final Group K Standings
| GROUP K | |||||||
| TEAM | MP | W | D | L | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | COLOMBIA | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| 2 | PORTUGAL | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| 3 | DR CONGO | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | UZBEKISTAN | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -9 | 0 |
Colombia advance to the Round of 32 as Group K winners, Portugal progress as runners-up despite winning just one of their three group-stage matches, and DR Congo celebrate a historic first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup knockout rounds. Uzbekistan exit the tournament after finishing bottom of the group.
England Top Group L as Croatia and Ghana Also Reach Round of 32
England finished top of Group L with an unbeaten record, while Croatia secured second place and Ghana progressed as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams. Panama’s World Cup campaign came to an end without a point, becoming the only team at the tournament to fail to score a single goal.
The Three Lions made an impressive start with a 4-2 victory over Croatia before playing out a goalless draw against Ghana. They wrapped up the group stage with a comfortable 2-0 win over Panama to finish with seven points and seal top spot.
Croatia recovered well from their opening defeat to England. A narrow 1-0 victory over Panama kept their qualification hopes alive before a hard-fought 2-1 win over Ghana secured second place with six points and automatic progression to the Round of 32.
Ghana began their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama and earned a valuable draw against England before narrowly losing to Croatia on the final matchday. Despite finishing third with four points, the Black Stars’ tally was enough to secure one of the tournament’s eight best third-placed qualification spots and extend their World Cup journey.
Panama endured a disappointing campaign, suffering defeats in all three matches against Ghana, Croatia and England. They finished bottom of Group L without a point and became the only nation at the FIFA World Cup 2026 to end the group stage without scoring a goal.
Final Group L Standings
| GROUP L | |||||||
| TEAM | MP | W | D | L | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | ENGLAND | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| 2 | CROATIA | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 3 | GHANA | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | PANAMA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -4 | 0 |
England and Croatia advance automatically to the Round of 32, while Ghana also progress after qualifying as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams. Panama exit the competition after a difficult campaign, becoming the tournament’s only side to finish the group stage without finding the back of the net.
