ÖFB Team Under Pressure

Third in the group at the World Cup: Only three spots left!

Senegal has advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup. That’s where Marko Arnautovic (right) and his teammates want to be, too.(Bild: Krone-Collage/AP/Stephanie Scarbrough, GEPA)

The group stage of the 2026 World Cup is entering the home stretch. Nine of the twelve groups have already concluded, and some nations have secured their spots in the Round of 16. However, the battle for the eight spots reserved for the best third-place finishers (see table below) remains particularly exciting. That’s because these teams will also advance to the knockout stage. Here’s an overview…

This article is being updated continuously.

Following the results from Friday night into Saturday, Paraguay and Senegal have also secured their spots in the Round of 16 as third-place finishers in their groups.

These nations have already advanced to the World Cup round of 16 (currently 28 out of 32):
Mexico, South Africa (both Group A), Switzerland, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina (all Group B), Brazil, Morocco (both Group C), USA, Australia, Paraguay (all Group D), Germany, Ivory Coast, Ecuador (all Group E), Netherlands, Japan, Sweden (all Group F), Belgium, Egypt (both Group G), Spain, Cape Verde (both Group H), France, Norway, Senegal (all in Group I), Argentina (Group J), Colombia, Portugal (both in Group K), England, Ghana (both in Group L)

And here’s how things currently stand in the race for the eight best third-place teams:

Here is the World Cup bracket and the matchups for the knockout stage:

In the event of a tie in the third-place group standings at the 2026 World Cup, the following criteria apply:

• Better goal difference from all group stage matches
• Most goals scored in all group stage matches
• Best fair play rating (players and officials) based on yellow and red cards received
• Teams still tied on points will be ranked according to the most recently published world rankings.

With Sweden, Ecuador, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Paraguay, and Senegal, five third-place teams have already advanced to the Round of 32 at the World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

The Austrian national team can’t afford to lose now
The remaining three spots are still up for grabs ahead of the final matchday of the group stage, when Austria faces Algeria (Sunday at 4 a.m., live on the sportkrone.at live ticker). One thing is certain: A draw would send both Austria (3 points/goal difference 0) and Algeria (3/-2) to the knockout stage. A loss could mean elimination for both teams.