With only two places remaining in the round of 16 of the World Cup, Algeria, Austria and Iran reach the last round linked by the same dispute, but in different situations. While Algerians and Austrians take to the field this Saturday (27), Iran is following everything from a distance and depends on the result to know whether they will continue in the competition.
The scenario was defined after DR Congo’s victory over Uzbekistan, a result that guaranteed the Congolese in the knockout stage and eliminated South Korea using tiebreaker criteria. Thus, only one place remained among the best third-placed teams.
three points in Group J. The Austrians occupy second place based on goal difference, while the Algerians appear in third. If there is a tie, both will reach four points. Austria will advance as runner-up in the group and Algeria will be among the group, eliminating Iran.
If Algeria wins, they will take second place in the group and face Spain in the round of 32. The defeat will leave Austria out of the World Cup, opening space for the Iranian classification, which will cross with Switzerland.
A victory for Austria guarantees the Europeans second place and also puts Spain on their way. Algeria will be eliminated, while Iran will inherit the last available place among the best third-placed teams and will have Switzerland as their opponents.
In addition to its sporting weight, the confrontation revives a remarkable chapter in the history of the World Cups. In 1982, Algeria and Austria were involved, when West Germany’s 1-0 victory classified the two Europeans and eliminated the Algerians, an episode that led FIFA to adopt simultaneous games in the final round of the group stage.
Forty-four years later, the two teams face each other again in a curious scenario: this time, a draw could benefit both and leave Iran out of the knockout stage.
