Algeria Secures Qualification with a Thrilling Draw Against Austria.. Mahrez Shines with a Brace

The Algerian national team secured a spot in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup after drawing 3-3 with Austria in an exciting match in the third and final round of Group J.

The beginning of the match saw an advantage for the Austrian team, which opened the scoring in the 28th minute through Marko Arnautović after a pass from David Alaba. Rafiq Belghali equalized for Algeria in the 45th minute, benefiting from a decisive pass from Riyad Mahrez, ending the first half with a 1-1 draw.

With the start of the second half, the Austrian team regained the lead through Marcel Sabitzer in the 55th minute, but the "Greens" responded quickly when Riyad Mahrez scored the equalizer in the 60th minute following a pass from Houssem Aouar.

The excitement continued into injury time, as Mahrez succeeded in scoring his second personal goal and Algeria's third in the third minute of added time, putting his team ahead for the first time in the match. However, Sasa Kalajdzic snatched an equalizer for Austria in the sixth minute of added time, ending the encounter with a 3-3 draw.

At the level of statistics, the Algerian team dominated the game with 65% possession compared to Austria's 35%. They also led in the number of shots with 12 attempts compared to 10, while the expected goals were 1.59 for Algeria against Austria's 1.28.

With this draw, both teams increased their tally to four points, with the Austrian team securing second place on goal difference, while the Algerian team also advanced to the round of 32 as one of the best qualifying teams. Meanwhile, the Argentine team finished the group stage at the top with a perfect score of 9 points, and Jordan exited the tournament without any points.

Group 10 standings

Argentina – 9 points (Qualified)

Austria - 4 points (qualified)

Algeria - 4 points (Qualified)

Jordan - 0 points