Spain's 1-0 win on Friday night perhaps put a damper on a couple of teams' World Cup plans.The victory over Uruguay gave Spain the Group H title, meaning it will play the winner of the final group stage match between Austria and Algeria on Saturday night.Spain is a soccer powerhouse, ranking as the third-best FIFA program in the world, and it would be a heavy favorite over both Austria (22nd) and Algeria (29th).CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMAustria and Algeria might actually benefit from not winning its final group stage game (Dean Mouhtaropoulos, Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images)That's why both teams might actually benefit from not winning Saturday night.We have already mentioned that Spain will face the winner of the match as Group J runners-up.So, for Algeria, a tie is easily its best-case scenario.With a tie, Algeria would clinch a spot in the knockout round as a third-place finisher in Group J and face either Belgium, Switzerland, England or Ghana.
However, a loss spells almost certain elimination, so it must tread lightly.Its path will be much clearer when it takes the pitch at 10 p.m.ET in Kansas City, but for now, The Athletic gives Algeria less than a 1% chance of advancing with a loss.
If prior games go in its favor ahead of time, the likelihood jumps only to 9%.Riyad Mahrez and the Algeria starting eleven pose before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J match against Jordan at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on June 22, 2026.(Erin Chang/ISI Photos)HOW DO TEAMS ADVANCE IN THE 2026 WORLD CUP? TIEBREAKER RULES AND ROUND OF 32 FORMAT EXPLAINEDAustria's situation is a bit different, as a loss does not totally kill it.
But since a win or tie means facing Spain, it might just be hoping for a loss and advancing through tiebreakers, which, again, will become more clear as the day goes on.At the time of publishing, Austria has a 38% chance of advancing with a loss.That percentage would go to 65% with a Ghana victory at 5 p...