Algeria and Austria played out a stunning 3-3 draw in Group J, each scoring deep into stoppage time to advance, while Iran was eliminated after Austria’s Sasa Kalajdzic equalized on the final play.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Algeria and Austria went into Saturday night knowing exactly what a pedestrian draw would mean: both teams would qualify for the World Cup knockout round.
They got something else.
In the wildest finish of the group stage. Algeria scored in stoppage time only for Austria to answer on the final play of the game. turning what looked like a narrow late advantage into a 3-3 draw. The result was a win-win for Algeria and Austria—and a heartbreaking end for Iran. which was eliminated when the match swung away from the scenario that would have sent it through as one of the best third-place teams.
“I’ve been a coach for about 40 years. I don’t remember a game that had such a dramatic course. and such an unexpected trajectory. ” Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said. shaking his head. “Even at the beginning of the match. if someone would have said it would be 3-3. nobody would have believed it. Somebody would have won an incredible bet, I guess.”.
The game was tied 2-all in the closing minutes, and Algeria appeared ready to run out the clock. Then Riyad Mahrez scored his second goal of the match for Algeria in stoppage time. putting Austria on the verge of elimination—until Sasa Kalajdzic headed in the equalizer a couple of minutes later on the final sequence. Rangnick summed up the confusion with a grin.
“The locker room is madness,” he said. “If Alfred Hitchcock — who had nothing to do with soccer, didn’t really like soccer — if he had written such a drama, I would have said he was completely mad.”
Austria’s Marko Arnautovic and Marcel Sabitzer also scored for Austria, which finished second behind Argentina in Group J to advance for the first time since 1982. Austria’s reward is a matchup with European champion Spain on Thursday in Los Angeles.
For Algeria, Rafik Belghali also found the net as “Les Fennecs” became the ninth of 10 teams from Africa to advance. Algeria finished third in the group but earns a potentially easier Round of 32 matchup with Switzerland on Thursday night in Vancouver, British Columbia.
“It’s a feeling of being extremely happy,” Mahrez said. “We’re obviously happy, and it was the objective when we arrived — it was to go beyond the first round. That’s what we did, and we’re all very happy.”
Iran would have advanced as one of the eight best third-place teams had Austria or Algeria won. When Kalajdzic scored in stoppage time to tie the game one last time, it meant Team Melli was eliminated.
“When you have 3-3,” Rangnick said, “nobody can assume that it was an agreement (to tie) or anything like that.”
On the field and in the stands, Kansas City looked like it belonged to multiple World Cups at once. The first three World Cup matches at Arrowhead Stadium had seen the home of the Kansas City Chiefs flooded in the light blue of Argentina. yellow of Ecuador and highlighter orange of the Netherlands. But in the city’s group finale. Algeria green and red complemented a crowd that filled the night with the kind of joy that comes from a ticket that doesn’t cost as much.
Many locals appeared to be rooting for Algeria, which has made its training base in nearby Lawrence, Kansas, and formed a unique friendship with the small college town home to the University of Kansas.
Some of those newcomers may not have known the “Disgrace of Gijón.” But longtime Algeria supporters had been waiting 44 years for World Cup revenge against Austria after the 1982 tournament when Austria and West Germany seemingly quit playing after West Germany took a 1-0 lead—an outcome that sent both through at Algeria’s expense. Algeria protested to FIFA to no avail and was eliminated.
With the expanded 48-team field, the question hovering around the matchup was whether Kansas City could turn into a “Disgrace of Kansas City.” Instead, the crowd of 69,045 on Saturday night was treated to a dramatic 90-plus minutes.
Austria struck first when Marko Arnautovic timed a run between two Algerian defenders, then got himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Oussama Benbot. After a stumble, he still scored his record-extending 49th career goal for his nation.
Algeria responded just before halftime when Belghali’s left-footed shot beat Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager.
The second half carried the frenzy forward on a hot night in Kansas City. Austria went for more than a 1-1 draw, with Konrad Laimer sending a sharp pass across the field that Sabitzer finished to regain the lead. The goal also gave Iran some hope in the larger group picture.
Algeria answered minutes later when Mahrez scored off a perfect cross from Houssem Aouar.
It remained 2-2 down the stretch, and Algeria began to play keep-away as an antsy crowd began to hoot and whistle. Then, in the final minutes, Mahrez and Kalajdzic delivered a finish no one seemed prepared for, ending the group stage in memorable fashion.
“I think the match was a little crazy. It sort of went beyond the limits of everyone’s endurance,” Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic said. “Let’s celebrate our promotion, so to speak, let’s rest and then we will begin again for the next round.”
World Cup 2026 Algeria Austria Group J Riyad Mahrez Sasa Kalajdzic Marko Arnautovic Marcel Sabitzer Iran eliminated knockout round