After 17 days of practically non-stop football, the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is over. Our world may feel a bit more empty now … though probably not as empty as for the one-third of the 48 qualified nations who are heading home. The remaining two-thirds move on to the Round of 32 of course, so in a way, we’re just getting started.
Those 32 include both Algeria and Austria after their dramatic 3-3 draw in the last group game. It was an ironic pairing in a match where a draw ensured survival
for both (at the expense of a third). In 1982, Austria’s 1-0 defeat against West Germany, which ensured that they both qualified for the knockout rounds at the expense of Algeria, came to be known as the “Disgrace of Gijón” — and was the primary motivator for FIFA tweaking their format and codifying that the last two group stage games should kick-off at the same time to avoid potential collusion.
Any doubts about the two colluding today were put to bed in the final minutes, when Algeria scored to take a 3-2 lead, only for Austria to equalize with the final kick of the game. The result meant that Iran were out, as one of the four worst third-place teams, and Algeria and Austria were both in. Iran would’ve advanced with any result other than a draw.
The rest of the day was not nearly as dramatic as Argentina (Messi scores again), England (no Reecey or Trev), and Colombia confirmed their places as group winners, joined by Austria, Croatia, and Portugal as runner-ups. Ghana and DR Congo also qualified as third-place teams, the latter by coming from behind to beat Uzbekistan, 3-1. Historic!
So now the knockout rounds begin. No more draws; it’s win or go home. Get hyped!
SOUTH AFRICA vs. CANADA
So, just the one game today, pitting two teams who finished runners-up in their respective groups (Group A and Group B). South Africa began the tournament with a shockingly inept performance against Mexico in the opening game, but they’ve improved steadily since, getting a draw against the Czech Republic and beating South Korea, 1-0, to qualify for the knockout rounds for the first time ever.
Canada, one of the three host nations, were expected to get out of the group and they had been hoping to do so as group-winners, which would’ve kept them playing in Canada until the quarterfinals. Alas, they finished just second (behind Switzerland), so now they don’t have home-field advantage. They started the tournament with an unlucky draw against Bosnia, then hammered Qatar, 6-0, before losing to the Swiss in the last game.
Canada will be favored, but South Africa have proven that unless they self-destruct, they have the quality to cause an upset. Occasional Chelsea target (and Chelsea fan) Jonathan David leads Canada with three goals.
Date / Time: Sunday, June 28, 2026, 3pm EDT; 8pm BST
Venue: Sofi Stadium, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Referee: João Pinheiro (Portugal)
On TV: FOX, Telemundo (USA); ITV 1 (UK); elsewhere
Streaming online: FOX One, Peacock (USA); ITVx (UK)
