FIFA World Cup 2026 – Why are the final group stage matches taking place at the same time?

The final set of group stage matches starts on June 24, when Switzerland take on Canada and Qatar take on Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Like previous editions, matches from the same group will be played simultaneously instead of at different times as in the first and second rounds of group matches.

This is done to ensure that no team is assured of a result that guarantees progression to the knockout stages.

WHY ARE THE FINAL GROUP MATCHES PLAYED SIMULTANEOUSLY?

The final group stage matches will be played simultaneously to ensure a situation arises ‘Shame of Gijon’ in the 1982 World Cup will no longer take place.

The 1982 edition saw West Germany and Austria meet in their final group match, knowing that a 1–0 win in West Germany would be enough to send both teams through at the expense of Algeria, who played their final match a day earlier.

The North African team had defeated West Germany 2-1 in the opening match. It then lost 0–2 to Austria in the next match before closing the group stage with a 3–2 win against Chile. In addition, it also became the first African team ever to win a World Cup twice.

If West Germany won by one or two goals, the Germans and Austria would have qualified on goal difference. If West Germany won by four goals or more, the former would have qualified against Algeria. A West Germany win by exactly three goals would have sent Algeria and Austria to the next tiebreaker (goals scored).

In that scenario, where West Germany had won by a margin of three and a tiebreak took place between the other two sides, Austria could only have qualified if it had scored two goals or more in its defeat (i.e. 5-2 or 6-3 etc.)

The Germans found the net early in the match and both teams played out the rest of the match without really making an effort to score. They both progressed and Algeria were eliminated.

Published on June 24, 2026