I would like to thank those who have been reading my blogs in the last while. This last month and a half, it has not been an easy time for me as it involved me moving back to my hometown and dealing with an ailing family member. I’ve been there for them during the times and on a daily basis. Despite it being frustrating and even heartbreaking at times, I am still reminded that despite it all, I still need time to take my mind off things. Time to live again. I often find blogging to be a good escape. Your reading of my blogs has really helped in getting my energy back every now and then.

With the twelve groups of the 2026 FIFA World Cup now finished playing their second games, each group gives a good picture on how their four teams are doing. The information in each group is not perfectly clear but it does tell a lot and it tells enough to give a good sense on the qualifying chances of many teams. With the first round of the knockout phase of the Cup being the Round Of 32, that will mean 32 teams advancing and 16 teams heading back home at the end of it all. With all 48 teams having played their first two matches, there are some qualifications and eliminations confirmed but most will need this last game to finalize all group standings from first to fourth. That’s the purpose of all these third-game matches over these next four days. To finalize the Group Stage, determine the qualifiers and determine the Round Of 32 matches.

The crazy thing is that even after the final standings of each group is decided, it still won’t make full sense. We know the Top 2 are assured advancing. We also know the last-place team is assured elimination. Thing is we will still be in the dark about the third-place teams in each group. The twelve teams will all be ranked on their game stats and it’s a case the Top 8 will advance while the Bottom 4 will be packing for home sooner than they hoped! It’s at the very end when we will finally know all eight wildcard qualifiers! Yep, we have to be patient and wait until Saturday night to know it all!

For my common review of the groups with one game to go, I will review in each group those who qualified (with them bolded), what certain teams need to qualify, and which teams are officially out. I don’t have too much definite information about wildcard qualifying but I will give a good sense of what will and what won’t qualify:

Group A: The way the games and the groups are going, it’s become a case that if a team wins their first two games, that’s enough to guarantee qualification. Before this World Cup began, it was thought that Mexico was at a time when the team was not at their best. Possibly in one of their lowest conditions ever. Many thought they would not advance past group play. Turns out the football experts don’t know Mexico.

I’ll give a little bit of history. Mexico first hosted the World Cup in 1970. The previous five World Cups, they were out in the Group Stage. In 1970, they advanced to the knockout stage for the first time! Between 1970 and their next hosting in 1986, they only qualified for one other World Cup and were out in the group stage there. When they hosted again in 1986, they advanced again and won their first-ever knockout game in the Round Of 16!

If there’s one thing you’ll learn about Mexico, it’s that if they host, they will really deliver! The World Cup opened with them facing South Africa and they won 2-0. Their second game was against South Korea whom many felt are a better team and Mexico beat them 1-0. Qualification has officially been secured! Third time Mexico as host nation and again, Mexico wins two Group Stage games!

Not only have Mexico already qualified, they have secured first place! How so soon? In the past, goal differentials in a group would determine the finishing places. One group could have three teams with two wins and a loss and it would be goal differentials to decide it. Not anymore. This year, FIFA is going in the same direction as UEFA and the Euro and the head-to-head result will supersede goal differentials in being the tiebreaker in game stats. With Mexico having beaten South Korea, the only other team in Group A with a win, Mexico has assured themselves winning Group A.

The rest is a battle for second. South Korea is the team with the best shot right now as they’re the only other team with a win. They could still qualify well if they draw against South Africa. If they lose, the only way they can be eliminated is if Czechia defeats Mexico. Highly unlikely, but still possible.

Czechia and South Africa are still in contention but theirs is a case where both teams need to win if they are to advance. No ifs, ands or buts. Even if both teams deliver shocker wins on Wednesday the 24th, Their goal differential statistics will have to hold up for their final position and the likeliness of wildcard statistics if one of them finishes third in Group A. Sometimes it can be a numbers game.

Group B: Group B is an interesting lot. For the first-games, they both ended as 1-1 draws. That was beneficial to both Canada and Qatar whose World Cup record before their opening games in 2026 were nothing but losses. Finally something that doesn’t end as a loss for both teams. The second-games got interesting. Switzerland defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina 4-1 but it was Canada that provided the shocker with their 6-0 win over Qatar! Canada’s first-ever win and with twice as many goals as their previous seven World Cup games!

The crazy thing is despite Canada’s big win, they have not solidified qualifying. Group B is a case where any three nations can qualify for the knockout phase. Even Qatar after that devastating loss. Despite Canada not officially qualifying, its chances of qualifying are still comfortable. Even if they lose to Switzerland and no matter who wins the other game. Switzerland could still win Group B if they defeat Canada but it must be nothing less than a defeat. A draw to Canada will have them second based on goal differentials.

Both Bosnia-Herzegovina and Qatar have a loss and a draw. When they face each other on Tuesday, it will be a case that the winner has a very good chance of qualifying, even if they end up a third-place wildcard, but it must be nothing less than a win for either team. If it’s a draw, Bosnia will get the third-place finish on goal differentials and a team with two draws and a loss will have a slim chance of qualifying through the wildcard. It has happened before with Uruguay in 1986 but the chances are extremely slim.

Group C: Group C is a case where none of the teams have solidified qualification but one team has solidified their elimination. One major shocker was Brazil drawing to Morocco. It’s very obvious Morocco wants to prove their fourth-place finish in 2022 was no fluke. The game of Scotland vs. Haiti was not much of a shocker as Scotland won 1-0. This became Scotland’s first World Cup win since 1990. As expected, Brazil defeated Haiti, but with a 3-0 score. Morocco proved themselves over Scotland with a 1-0 win.

Brazil and Morocco have the Top 2 spots with a win and a draw both. Brazil leads because of goal differentials. Brazil will face Scotland and Morocco will face Haiti in their final games. If they both win, Brazil will win Group C unless Morocco’s win over Haiti is bigger than Brazil over Scotland. If one of their games is a win and the other draws, the team that won will top Group C. The Top 3 can go any way. It’s even possible Brazil can finish third in the group if they lose to Scotland and Morocco wins over Haiti. The final game results will have to decide it all.

Scotland could qualify with a simple draw to Brazil but it’s highly unlikely Brazil will want to draw. A win will definitely send Scotland to the second round for the first time ever in nine World Cup participations. A loss will keep Scotland in third-place no matter what Haiti does but it will have to hope for the absolute best and hope their game stats hold up in the wildcard rankings.

Haiti is one of four teams at this World Cup that has yet to score a goal for themselves. With losing 1-0 to Scotland and 3-0 to Brazil, Haiti became the first team of this World Cup to officially be eliminated. Even if they defeat Morocco and Scotland loses to Brazil, they will still be out because of the head-to-head result of Scotland.

Group D: Now keep in mind the United States has finished at the top of a World Cup group before in the past. That was back in 2010. Nevertheless it’s always a big treat to do it on home soil. The United States arrived at this World Cup with high expectations and they delivered with a 4-1 win over Paraguay and a 2-0 win over Australia. With that, they not only guaranteed qualification but they also topped Group D! They could lose to Turkey on Thursday and they would still be at the top of Group D!

The match of Paraguay vs. Australia is possibly the one match where there’s any real fight for something. The USA could win over Turkey for pride’s sake but the Paraguay/Australia match is for who will get the second-place finish in Group D and who will finish third. Winner of this match naturally will get second place of the group. If there’s a draw, Australia will get second because of even goal differentials. That will mean Paraguay will have a good change of advancing but they will have to end up in the Top 8 of the wildcards to advance.

As for Turkey, it’s over! Before this World Cup, many saw them as the team that could most upset the United States for the top spot of Group D. Instead, they lost 2-0 to Australia and 1-0 to Paraguay with Matias Galarza scoring the fastest goal of the Cup so far! Their play in those two games have guaranteed them a last-place finish in the group, even if they defeat the United States on Thursday. No doubt for this last match, they will be playing for pride.

Group E: No doubt at this World Cup, Germany came with something to prove. They won the World Cup in 2014 but in the past two World Cups, they failed to advance. That’s two of only three times in World Cup history Germany failed to advance to the second round. Germany did prove themselves a changed and improved team as they opened with a 7-1 win over Curacao and a 2-1 win over the Ivory Coast. Those two wins are enough not only to guarantee Germany a berth in the Round of 32 but also have them top Group E! Even if they lose their final game to Ecuador on Thursday, they still top Group E.

With Germany winning the group, the only other Group E team with a win so far, Ivory Coast, is currently in second. The only way Cote D’Ivoire cannot qualify is if they lose to Curacao and Ecuador defeats Germany. Highly unlikely, but possible. They will need a draw as a minimum to advance to the knockout stage for the first time ever.

With Ecuador and Curacao with a loss and a draw each, it’s a case both teams will need to win in order for both to qualify. The results can go either way. A win from either team will help them for qualifying either as a second-place team or wildcard. A draw may not be enough to qualify, even if they finish third. You have to remember wildcard qualifiers are about the Top 8. Two draws and a loss can most likely put them as part of the ‘Unlucky Four.’ A loss will definitely have them out. No doubt about that.

Group F: Pele always said “Football is a box of surprises.” Group F had a lot of surprises. The first being the 2-2 draw of Netherlands vs. Japan. The second being Sweden’s 5-1 victory over Tunisia. The big loss angered Tunisia so much, they fired their head coach! Surprises continued for the second games on Saturday the 20th as the Netherlands defeated Sweden 5-1 and Japan added to Tunisia’s humiliation with a 4-0 victory over them!

None of the Group F teams have solidified qualification. Both Netherlands and Japan have a win and a draw but the Netherlands are leading Group F as their win against Sweden was a higher score. For their last games on Thursday the Netherlands will face Tunisia and Japan will face Sweden. Wins will solidify their qualifications but Japan will have to win by an extra goal to overtake the top spot from the Netherlands. Even if they both lose, Netherlands will need a big loss to finish third and have Japan finish second. Draws from both will solidify their spots.

Sweden had a big win against Tunisia and a big loss to the Netherlands. Their win puts them in third. A win against Japan will guarantee qualification. The only way Sweden can win the group is if they win and the Netherlands loses to Tunisia. A loss will put them in the third-place wildcard chart but their stats will have to hold up if they’re to be among the ‘Lucky Eight.’

As for Tunisia, this is hard luck for them. They haven’t even played their last game and already they’ve concede more goals here than in any other previous World Cup! No wonder the coach was fired. What’s your guess the whole Tunisian football system will be revised right after their last game on Thursday? Anyways they have solidified their elimination. Even if they win against the Netherlands, they’re out due to their loss to Sweden.

Group G: Monday June 15th was the day the teams of Group G and Group H played their first games of World Cup 2026. The end result was June 15, 2026 became the first day since June 15, 1958 where four World Cup games ended in draws! Group G’s part in the ‘Day Of Four Draws’ was a case of Belgium drawing 1-1 against Egypt and New Zealand drawing 2-2 against Iran. For their second games, you would hope for at least one game to end with a win to give an actual leader. The first game of Belgium vs. Iran was a scoreless draw but the game of New Zealand vs. Egypt did end with a winner as Egypt won 1-3.

One thing about this group is none of the teams have guaranteed qualification or elimination. They’re all still in contention with one game to go. With Egypt the one team with a win, it can afford to draw against Iran to advance. All other teams need nothing less than a win to qualify. The Belgium vs. New Zealand game especially needs a winner to qualify as Belgium having three draws is cutting it close and New Zealand having two draws and a loss will definitely make them the unlucky ones.

Group H: For Group H’s role in the ‘Day Of Four Draws,’ it all started with a shocking scoreless draw between Spain and Cape Verde. Shocking because of Cape Verde’s World Cup debut in this game. The came the 1-1 draw between Saudi Arabia and Uruguay. Like Group G, Group H needed at least one of their games on Sunday the 21st to be a win in order to give some decent separation in the standings. They got it with the first game of Spain defeating Saudi Arabia 4-0. A relief since Uruguay vs. Cape Verde ended with a 2-2 draw.

Just like in Group G, no team in Group H has guaranteed either qualification or elimination. With Spain being the only winner of a game, it has the best qualifying chances. Even if they draw against Uruguay and Cape Verde wins, they could still top because of the high goal differentials. Only if Spain get defeated by Uruguay can it prevent them from topping the group. Even if Spain finished third in the group, they will still have some of the best qualifying chances.

Now the big surprise not only of this group but of the whole World Cup has to be Cape Verde! They had a scoreless draw against Spain and a 2-2 draw against Uruguay. And a nation of only slightly over half a million people! With two draws, they are in third. Winning will guarantee them through. A draw might send them through but their game points and goal differentials will have to hold up. As for the Saudis, they need nothing less than a win to have a chance to qualify.

Group I: A case where a group has two teams with two wins is always a relief. It makes explaining the qualifiers easiest. Two wins guarantees qualification. France did it when they opened with a 3-1 win over Senegal and solidified it with a 3-0 win over Iraq that made more news for its thunderstorm delays than for Mbappe’s scoring. Norway was also able to row their way to advancing when they opened with a 4-1 win over Iraq and followed it with a 3-2 win over Senegal. Four of Norway’s seven goals came from Erling Haaland! With advancing guaranteed, the game between the two is just for who will win the group. Winner of the match will naturally win the group but if a draw, France will win the group because of a better goal differential.

Although two wins guarantees advancing, Senegal and Iraq will be relieved to know that two losses will not guarantee them elimination. Winner can still qualify if their game points and goal differentials put them in the ‘Lucky Eight,’ but there must be a winner. If a draw, Senegal will be the third-place team due to goal differentials and the statistics of a draw and two losses will most likely have them as the ‘Unlucky Four.’ I cannot see a stat like that qualifying.

Group J: Just when you thought the 2022 win of Argentina would be the last hurrah of Lionel Messi, turns out you were wrong! Not only did he help Argentina successfully defend their Copa America in 2024 but he showed he and Argentina are ready to defend their World Cup title. And boy did they get off to a good start! Argentina won their opener against Algeria 3-0 and then their game against Austria 2-0. That solidified their guarantee of advancing. And the scoring was a big bonus for Messi. All five goals in those games were scored by him. His total World Cup goals of eighteen now make him the all-time World Cup record-holder!

Seeing that Argentina’s wins came to the two other teams who achieved a win, that makes Argentina the winner of Group J. Although it’s unlikely, losing to Jordan will change nothing. The battle in Group J is for second-place and that will be Algeria vs. Austria. Winner of that match will get the second-place finish but a draw will have Austria second because of better goal differentials. Algeria will definitely have better qualifying chances with a draw as their 3-0 loss to Argentina left a big gap.

Another team added to those who are now eliminated is Jordan. Two games, two losses and both to the teams with a win and a loss. Even if they beat Argentina, it’s over for them.

Group K: All the big talk of Messi and Cristiano in what is most likely their last World Cup. Things started slowly for Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese team. In their opener against Congo DR, they drew 1-1 and Cristiano hardly put on any show! That one goal for Congo DR made history as their first ever! The other game, Uzbekistan vs. Colombia did have some excitement as Colombia won 1-3.

It was in the match against Uzbekistan that Portugal really put on a show as they won 5-0. Cristiano scored two goals and made history as the one player who has scored in six World Cup tournaments! That’s one World Cup record Messi couldn’t achieve as he scored nothing in 2010! Then it was Colombia against DR Congo which Colombia won 1-0 and solidified their qualification!

Although Colombia is the only team of Group K in the Round of 32 right now, all three of the other teams have a shot at qualification and will be decided in their games on Saturday the 27th. Portugal will play Colombia and the winner of that game will win the group. A draw will keep Colombia on top and allow Portugal to finish second. Colombia winning will likely still keep Portugal in qualification after that big win against Uzbekistan. In the game of DR Congo vs. Uzbekistan, winner will most likely take third-place and it depends on their game stats if they’re among the ‘Lucky Eight.’ If DR Congo wins, they will have very good changes. If Uzbekistan wins, their qualifying chances will be chancy. Especially after their big loss to Portugal. If they both draw, DR Congo has the advantage with their draw to Portugal but the disadvantage of two draws and a loss. I doubt that will hold up.

Group L: Many a group was expected to be unpredictable and provide a lot of rivalry. The match of England vs. Croatia was expected to be a tight match and it did deliver on excitement as England won 4-2. For the match of Ghana vs. Panama, it was expected to go anywhere and in the end, Ghana won 1-0. The second games were something, both positive and negative. Whatever excitement England stimulated after their win, it sure cooled off after their scoreless draw to Ghana. The two losers from Wednesday the 17th needed to win to get somewhere and it ended up being Croatia 0-1.

So that’s it for Group L. No team has guaranteed qualification and three teams still have a chance. England and Ghana may both have a win and a draw, but England’s goal differential puts them in the lead. Both teams have a comfortable chance of qualifying if they both lose. If they both win, England has the advantage with goal differentials. It all depends on final results. Croatia’s win against Panama was needed to put them in contention. Although qualification is not guaranteed, a simple draw against Ghana can put them through. A win could have them win Group L if England draws. Everything for all three teams with a win will need the third game to decide everything. One thing about Group L that is confirmed is Panama is eliminated. Even if they beat England and Croatia loses to Ghana, the head-to-head result overrules it.

And there you have it! That’s the look at the teams in each group of the FIFA World Cup with just their last games to go. As it stands, seven teams have already secured qualification, five know they’re eliminated and it’s now in the hands of the other 36 teams to get themselves in any of the 25 remaining spots to advance. These next four days will decide it all.

DISCLAIMER: As mentioned at the beginning of my blog, I am dealing with an ailing family member right now. I will be taking a break from blogging for some time and resuming when I’m ready to do so again.