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Schmid, Friedl and Co. have the knockouts in sight
PREVIEW OF AUSTRIA’S DECISIVE FINAL WORLD CUP GROUP GAME
27/06/26 | 2 Min
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There is certainly plenty at stake this weekend at the 2026 World Cup. Austria round off their group stage campaign against Algeria in Kansas City in the early hours of Sunday, 28.06.26 (04:00 CEST). With the new, expanded format seeing only 16 of the 48 teams eliminated at this stage, there are plenty of permutations to consider. WERDER.DE takes a look at where things stand for Austria as Green-Whites Romano Schmid and Marco Friedl live out their World Cup dream.
Following a 3-1 win over Jordan, in which Romano Schmid opened the scoring, and a 2-0 defeat to reigning champions Argentina, who are already confirmed as group winners, Austria sit second on three points. Algeria are level with Schmid, Friedl and their teammates in third, meaning Ralf Rangnick’s side face a straight shootout for second place against the North Africans. Austria’s superior goal difference means a draw would be enough to guarantee their place in the knockout stage.
Defeat would see Austria finish third and leave them facing an anxious wait. The eight best third-placed teams also qualify for the knockout stage, but Austria would have only three points and would most likely need to secure one of those places on goal difference. Werder captain Marco Friedl, who made his World Cup debut against Argentina, is determined to avoid those calculations altogether: “We just want to beat Algeria and reach the round of 32.”
The possible match-ups in the round of 32 are also beginning to take shape. If Austria hold on to second place, they will face the winners of Group H in their first knockout match, potentially setting up a meeting with European champions Spain. If they finish third and still progress, the Werder duo will come up against one of the other group winners.
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