{"id":215196,"date":"2026-06-28T08:53:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T08:53:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/algeria-and-austria-qualify-for-world-cup-2026-knockout-stage-after-thrilling-late-goals-live-updates-and-reaction-the-new-york-times\/"},"modified":"2026-06-28T08:53:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T08:53:41","slug":"algeria-and-austria-qualify-for-world-cup-2026-knockout-stage-after-thrilling-late-goals-live-updates-and-reaction-the-new-york-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/algeria-and-austria-qualify-for-world-cup-2026-knockout-stage-after-thrilling-late-goals-live-updates-and-reaction-the-new-york-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Algeria and Austria qualify for World Cup 2026 knockout stage after thrilling late goals: Live updates and reaction – The New York Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Cup
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A thrilling draw has seen both Algeria and Austria qualify for the knockout stage at the 2026 World Cup. <\/strong>
A loss for either team would have seen them eliminated in favour of Iran progressing to the round of 32, but instead both are through and Iran are out.
A draw seemed certain as both teams sat back in the final minutes with the score level at 2-2, until Riyad Mahrez scored his second goal of the night to give Algeria their first lead in the third minute of stoppage time. But Sasa Kalajdzic scored three minutes later to dramatically rescue Austria's World Cup campaign.
Austria will face Spain in the round of 32 on Thursday, while Algeria will take on Switzerland in Vancouver later that day.
In his post-match news conference, Austria coach Ralf Rangnick<\/strong> kept voicing disbelief at the \u201cincredible\u201d game we had witnessed, calling it a \u201cHollywood ending\u201d and saying it was so dramatic as to be beyond even the imagination of Alfred Hitchcock.
But he also suggested both teams appeared to have settled for a draw at 2-2 until \u201cone or two players of Algeria\u201d took matters into their own hands in stoppage time. Rangnick said:
💬 \u201cI don\u2019t know how it came about. Nobody can tell me that at minute 75 that, in minute 93, someone would plan, \u2018Oh yes, let\u2019s score another goal\u2019. Maybe it was the thought of one or two players of Algeria, but I think in the rest of the team (that wasn\u2019t the case).\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
When asked about the loss of attacking impetus from both teams between the first Mahrez goal, to equalise on 60 minutes, and his second to put them 3-2 up in stoppage time, Rangnick added:
💬 \u201cI think that\u2019s very logical after such an exciting and extreme match, going back and forth, where it could have been 6-6. At that point, I don\u2019t imagine that most of the (Algeria) team would have preferred to play against Spain than against Switzerland. And in our case there was no other option but to play against Spain.<\/em><\/strong>
\u201cIn this match, where it was 3-3, I don\u2019t think anyone can imagine that it was an agreement or anything like that, especially when you saw the last 90 seconds. We are sorry that Iran had a goal disallowed (against Egypt) and I think they deserve to go through, but the format is the way it is, whether it\u2019s good or bad.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
Incredible scenes on Sunday morning in Vienna, where Austrians are celebrating in the streets after their country\u2019s last-second qualification to the round of 32 in the World Cup.
🇦🇹 Vienna right now! pic.twitter.com\/zMQg4muxNp<\/a>
Earlier tonight, my colleague Michael Dominski<\/em> laid out a potential chaos scenario for stoppage time tonight. Sure enough, it played out nearly exactly as he predicted:
✍️ \u201cThe real quiz is what would happen if Algeria are leading by one goal in second-half stoppage time. Imagining this scenario is purely for fun, as settling for a draw is one thing but conceding a goal on purpose is quite another. <\/em><\/strong>
\u201cBut in that instance, it would be advantageous for Algeria to concede and thus settle for a draw, given that would mean they would face Switzerland in the round of 32 instead of Spain.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
Sure enough, that\u2019s exactly what happened. Riyad Mahrez streaked through the Austria defence for a late winner, only for Sasa Kalajdzic to equalise with his header on the last play of the game!
We will have our knockout game tomorrow as Group B runners-up Canada face Group A runners-up South Africa to kick off the round of 32 at 3 p.m. ET in Los Angeles.
That will be followed by three games on Monday:
Want to see your team\u2019s potential route to the 2026 World Cup final?
You can do so right here.<\/a>
Here are the teams that qualified for the round of 32<\/a> by continent. Africa and Europe are the only continents with more than five.
Australia is a member of Asia's soccer confederation (AFC).<\/em>
Elation for both sets of fans and plenty of sympathy for Iran in our match discussion.
Erwin M.: <\/strong>As an Austrian awake since 4 a.m. I don't know what to say. My heart. I grew 10 years older in a day
Julie V.: <\/strong>If I were an Algerian fan, I would be very happy that Austria scored. Algeria now faces Switzerland instead of Spain.
Alok K.:<\/strong> Heart goes out to Iran right now. Unbeaten but still knocked out.
Jon S.: <\/strong>Gutted for Iran as I feel they deserved a better fate and a better tournament experience. Sometimes everything sucks.
A moment that will live on forever in Austrian soccer lore.
My colleagues Mike Prada<\/em> and Henry Bushnell<\/em> went and rewound the match broadcast to count the staggering number of Algeria passes before Riyad Mahrez\u2019s goal, when it looked like they were just kicking the ball around to salt time away.
They found that there were at least 110 passes across a five-minute, 36-second sequence. That number does not include an additional 47 passes before Austria kicked the ball out of bounds and forced a throw-in.<\/p>\n

This has been a stellar World Cup for African nations, and Algeria\u2019s qualification into the round of 32 continues that.
Out of 10 African teams to participate in this World Cup, nine have qualified for the round of 32. Tunisia were the only side to not see it through.
That list includes both participants in March\u2019s still-disputed AFCON final, Morocco and Senegal, as well as DR Congo and debutants Cape Verde.
Sasa Kalajdzic scored 61 seconds after coming on as a substitute. Shockingly, that is only the third-fastest goal by a substitute in this year\u2019s World Cup despite being the eighth fastest ever.
This is the first time Austria has advanced past the initial group stage of a World Cup since 1982.
It\u2019s Algeria\u2019s second time ever doing so, and first since 2014.
Austria are the first team in World Cup history to concede a go-ahead goal at the 90th minute or later and still avoid a defeat, per Opta.
Feast your eyes on the absurd amount of passes Algeria completed before what sure appeared to be Riyad Mahrez\u2019s stoppage-time winner.
My goodness.
Still getting your head around that madcap finish?
Us too.
Let The Athletic<\/em><\/strong> digest it all for you in our match briefing here<\/a>.
GO FURTHER
Extraordinary Algeria and Austria tie eliminates Iran, delivers result many expected, game no one did
I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve yet seen a match in which the number of goals exceeded the expected goals figure by this much.
Some inspired finishing from both Algeria and Austria, especially in the second half!
Austria were in, then Iran were in, and then Austria were in. The magic and the misery of the World Cup, encapsulated in a three-minute span.
Riyad Mahrez DELIVERS IN STOPPAGE TIME FOR ALGERIA 🇩🇿 pic.twitter.com\/hVmBMLtLHq<\/a>
CHAOS IN KANSAS CITY 🤯<\/p>\n

AUSTRIA BACK ON LEVEL TERMS LATE IN STOPPAGE TIME 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com\/jYoWK3kmNv<\/a>
Algeria are through in the No 6 spot among the eight teams who qualify for the round of 32.
Iran, South Korea, Scotland and Uruguay are the four third-place sides who fail to make it in.
Especially against a Ralf Rangnick-coached gegenpressing side, Henry<\/em>!
Team Stats
ALG
AUT
Game Details<\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

World CupFIFA WorldCup 2026AdvertisementA thrilling draw has seen both Algeria and Austria qualify for the knockout stage at the 2026 World Cup. A loss for either team would have seen them eliminated in favour of Iran progressing to the round of 32, but instead both are through and Iran are out. A draw seemed certain […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":215197,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-215196","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215196\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}