World Cup 2026: How Argentina clinched a spot in the knockout round from Group J

Jun 27, 2026 - 20:00

June 16, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.; Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring their third goal to complete a hat-trick. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Saturday at the 2026 FIFA World Cup will complete group play in Group J.

Argentina has already clinched Group J, and will advance to the Round of 32 where they will play tournament darlings Cabo Verde. While Jordan has already been eliminated, both Austria and Algeria are in contention for spots in the knockout round.

Here are the remaining scenarios in Group J ahead of the final day of matches in group play.

What are the Group J standings?

Here are the current standings in Group J, ahead of matches set for Saturday, June 27.

Team	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
Argentina	2	0	5	0	+5	6
Austria	1	1	3	3	0	3
Algeria	1	1	2	4	-2	3
Jordan	0	2	2	5	-3	0

What are the next Group J matches?

Here are the times for Saturday’s final matches. All times listed are Eastern.

Monday, June 22

Argentina 2, Austria 0
Algeria 2, Jordan 1

Saturday, June 27

Algeria vs. Austria, 10:00 p.m.
Jordan vs. Argentina, 10:00 p.m.

What are the scenarios in Group J?

Here are the scenarios ahead of the final day of matches, set for June 27. These scenarios involve automatic qualification for the Round of 32 as one of the top two teams in the group. Teams can still advance as a third-place team, and for more on those standings we have you covered here. In addition, teams that are “eliminated” are guaranteed to finish fourth in their group.

Argentina

Argentina has already won Group J, and they will play the second-place team from Group H in the Round of 32

Austria

Austria will clinch second in Group J, and a match against the winners of Group H, with a win or draw against Algeria.

Algeria

Algeria will clinch second in Group J, and a match against the winners of Group H, with a win against Austria.

Jordan

Jordan has already been eliminated from the knockout rounds.

What about tiebreakers in Group J?

Here is how tiebreakers work at the World Cup this year. If two or more teams in the same group are equal on points following the group stage, a three-step process will be followed to determine tiebreakers.

In the first step, the greatest number of points in the group matches between the tied teams will be applied. Then, the superior goal difference from the group matches between the tied teams will be applied, and finally, the greatest number of goals scored in all group matches between the tied teams will be applied.

If that cannot determine a tiebreaker, then the teams that are still equal will advance to step two. In this stage, the first step is the goal difference in all group matches, then the greatest number of goals in all group matches, and finally the highest team conduct score (relating to yellow and red cards) will be applied.

If that does not break the tie, then the teams still equal on points will be ranked according to the most recent FIFA World Rankings.

That first step, which reads “greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned” according to FIFA, effectively turns into a head-to-head tiebreaker in the case of ties between two teams.

The only real tiebreaker to consider comes to us courtesy of the match between Algeria and Austria. As noted above, Austria clinches the second spot with a win or a draw, and that is due to the goal differential tiebreaker. If that match remains tied, both Austria and Algeria would finish with four points. But when you apply the goal differential, Austria would finish with a 0 goal differential, while Algeria would finish with a -2.

That would clinch second place in Group J for Austria.