The USMNT didn’t get the win it wanted for a perfect group stage, but it played its part in an enthralling game against Türkiye. And as group winner will play Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last 32. A team, as Ben Steiner points out, that has three big reasons why the U.S. should be wary.
But for now, U.S. boss Mauricio Pochettino was unconcerned by the defeat and there were still some big positives from the game. The celebs on show certainly enjoyed themselves.
Australia and Paraguay played out a goalless draw in the other Group D match which saw the Aussies finish second and Paraguay in third.
A shock in Group E saw Ecuador get the win it badly needed over already-qualified Germany (some issues for the Germans to address) to get to four points and hopefully into the next round. Côte d'Ivoire beat Curaçao to finish second.
The Netherlands got the victory over hapless Tunisia to finish top in Group F, while it was honors even between Japan and Sweden. Japan bagged second spot, Sweden came in third.
The third-placed teams table is hotting up, with Sweden, Ecuador and Paraguay currently sitting first, second and fourth respectively, all on four points. They’ll need to wait for the remaining group matches before seeing where they end up. Here’s our explainer on how the third-place team table works.
Today sees Group I conclude and while Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland will be out to prove their striking credentials, both France and Norway are already qualified. The key game sees Senegal take on Iraq with the Africans needing a big win—and an even bigger slice of luck—to qualify as a third place team with a maximum of three points.
It’s all still to play for in Group H with qualification a possibility for all four teams. First and second place Spain and Uruguay go head-to-head, while a win for newcomers Cabo Verde sees them through. But don’t rule Saudi Arabia out just yet. What drama!
And, finally, Group G, looking a little different to what many expected pre-tournament. Third place Belgium must beat New Zealand to be certain of a place in the knockouts, while leaders Egypt is a tie away from getting out of the group stage for the first time since 1934! Iran has never got that far. Or New Zealand, who a win over Belgium keeps its hopes alive.
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