Cairo, Voice of the Emirates – All eyes are on the stadiums of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as the 2026 World Cup, the first to feature 48 teams, prepares to conclude its exciting group stage.
Indeed, the current world of football is one of the most thrilling tournaments.
With 28 teams already secured their places in the Round of 32, the battle for the final four spots remains fierce.
These remaining spots will determine the finalists for the knockout stage.
28 teams are on the “big” list
Before the final round of matches in Groups 10, 11, and 12, a long list of teams had already secured their places.
These included: Mexico, South Africa, Switzerland, Canada, Brazil, Morocco, the United States, Australia, Germany, Ivory Coast, the Netherlands,
Japan, Belgium, Egypt, Spain, Cape Verde, France, Norway, Argentina, Colombia,
Portugal, England, Ghana, Sweden, Ecuador, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Paraguay, and Senegal.
The final rounds saw Argentina (top of Group 10), Colombia and Portugal (Group 11),
and England and Ghana (Group 12) clinch their qualification. Clearly, the world’s attention is always focused on the top teams and their qualification.
Calculations of the last meters
Seven teams enter the complex calculations for the remaining four seats: Austria, Algeria,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uzbekistan, Croatia, Iran, and South Korea. The accounts are distributed as follows:
Group Ten: The struggle for runner-up is between Austria and Algeria (each of them has 3 points).
A draw favors Austria thanks to goal difference. While the fourth point
gives Algeria a great advantage to compete in the “Top 8 Thirds” list.
Group Eleven: The Democratic Republic of Congo has its fate in its hands;
Victory over Uzbekistan gives him 4 points that guarantee him passage.
As for Uzbekistan (no points), its mission is almost impossible
and requires a wide victory of no less than 6 goals.
Group Twelve: Croatia faces Ghana. A draw guarantees Croatia third place.
While victory means direct qualification (first or second), giving Ghana the opportunity to qualify in the top three.
The next round may hold big surprises in the world.
Critical scenarios
Calculations indicate that if Algeria, DR Congo, and the third-placed team from Group L reach four points, Iran’s hopes will be officially eliminated. If Algeria draws, DR Congo wins, and Croatia avoids defeat, Iran’s chances will be over.
Conversely, an Algerian victory over Austria would benefit Iran, as Austria would remain on three points with a lower goal difference, opening the door for Iran should other teams falter.
South Korea (three points, goal difference -1) is in a very precarious position. They are relying on “gifts” from other groups, specifically the elimination of two of their direct rivals, to secure a place among the best third-placed teams.
Only a few hours separate us from the final whistle that will complete the lineup of 32 teams in this World Cup, which has proven that the new format raises the bar for excitement to its highest level. Finally, developments in the world of sports continue to captivate fans of international football.
