The race for third-place teams reaching the last 32 of the World Cup went down to the wire and the dying seconds of the final match of the 72-game group stage, with Iran and South Korea eventually joining Scotland and Uruguay in missing out.
Iran appeared to be going through at the expense of Austria after Riyad Mahrez scored in the 93rd minute to put Algeria 3-2 up in their rollercoaster game against Ralf Rangnick’s side in Kansas City. But in the 96th minute Sasa Kalajdzic turned home an equaliser for Austria that saved their World Cup and meant despair for Iran.
Iran can feel particularly hard done by, given they exit undefeated after three draws in Group G. In the end, the only third-place team who go through on three points are Senegal, whose 5-0 win over Iraq in their final group game, and the huge goal-difference boost that provided, proved decisive.
Results earlier in the day meant South Korea, who won their opening game against the Czechia, are also out. The criticism in the country has been fierce, with the head coach, Hong Myung-bo, firmly in the firing line.
Yonhap News Agency called South Korea’s premature exit “dismal” and added: “The national team suffered the humiliation of a 2026 World Cup group-stage exit after three days of agonising hope.”
Their tournament was overshadowed by a row between the squad and local media, while a drone also buzzed a crucial training session before the Mexico defeat.
Scotland also miss out after their troubled campaign, which resulted in Steve Clarke resigning as head coach, while Uruguay’s exit was confirmed after their defeat to Spain on Friday.
