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The group stage of the officially concluded on Saturday with the last matches of groups J, K, and L. Argentina and England secured their top spots with victories, Colombia confirmed theirs with a draw against Portugal, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo wrote one of the most emotional chapters of the tournament by qualifying for the knockout stage for the first time in its history.
Argentina completed an impeccable group stage by defeating 3-1 Jordan at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, earning nine points out of a possible nine. With the top spot in Group J already secured, Lionel Scaloni took the opportunity to rotate players and kept Messi reserved for the second half. Giovani Lo Celso opened the scoring with a free kick, Lautaro Martínez converted a penalty in the 31st minute —his first goal of the tournament— and Messi came off the bench to score in the 80th, bringing his historic tally in World Cups to 19 goals. La Albiceleste will face Cape Verde on July 3 in Miami.
In the other match of Group J, Algeria and Austria delivered one of the most thrilling encounters of the day, finishing in a 3-3 draw that benefited both teams. Austria advanced as the second team due to a better goal difference and will face Spain in the Round of 16, while Algeria will play against Switzerland.
Colombia secured first place in Group K with a 0-0 draw against Portugal at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The team led by Néstor Lorenzo was superior for much of the match, turning goalkeeper Diogo Costa into the standout player of the game. The coffee growers finished unbeaten with seven points —two victories and one draw— and will face Ghana on July 3 in Kansas City. Portugal advanced as the second team in the group with five points.
The big surprise of the day came from Atlanta, where the Democratic Republic of the Congo came back from a 0-1 deficit against Uzbekistan to win 3-1 and qualify for the knockout stage of a World Cup for the first time in their history. Eldor Shomurodov had put Uzbekistan ahead in the 10th minute, but Yoane Wissa equalized from the penalty spot in the 68th minute, Fiston Mayele scored to make it 2-1 in the 78th minute, and Wissa himself completed the comeback in the 90+1 minute. The Congolese, known as "The Leopards," finished with four points as the best third-placed team in the group and will now face a major challenge against England on July 1 in Atlanta.
England, for its part, topped Group L by defeating 2-0 against Panama at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Jude Bellingham scored in the 61st minute, and Harry Kane added a header in the 66th, although Thomas Tuchel's team continued to struggle to create fluid play and still needs to improve its collective performance if it wants to compete for the title.
Croatia secured the second spot in Group L by defeating 2-1 Ghana in Philadelphia. Petar Sučić opened the scoring with a shot from outside the box, and Nikola Vlašić extended the lead with an assist from Luka Modrić, before Derrick Luckassen scored a consolation goal. Ghana finished third with four points, awaiting confirmation of whether they will advance among the best third-placed teams in the tournament.
With the conclusion of Groups J, K, and L, the 2026 World Cup — the first with 48 teams in 12 groups — enters its decisive phase: from now on, any defeat will mean the final farewell to the dream of the World Cup.
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