Iran played out its third straight draw of the 2026 FIFA World Cup when they came back to hold Egypt 1-1 in a dramatic Group G match in Seattle on Friday.
The result provisionally placed Iran in sixth place in the third-placed team rankings, with three points and a goal difference of zero. The fate of the Asian team will only be finalized on Saturday, while three groups still have to complete their matches.
Standings of the third placed teams
Sweden – 4 points (0)
Ecuador – 4 points (0)
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 4 points (-1)
Paraguay – 4 points (-2)
Senegal – 3 points (+2)
Iran – 3 points (0)
Croatia – 3 points (-1)
South Korea – 3 points (-1)
Algeria – 3 points (-2)
Scotland – 3 points (-3)
Uruguay – 2 points (-1)
DR Congo – 1 point (-1)
Goal difference in brackets
How can Iran qualify for Round of 32?
As of now, Iran is assured of finishing above the three teams in the third team rankings: South Korea, Uruguay and Scotland.
If Iran wants to seal qualification, it would only take one more team to finish below this table.
Iran can qualify if one of these situations occurs in the final round:
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Croatia loses to Ghana by some margin
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Algeria loses to Austria by some margin
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Austria loses to Algeria by some margin
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DR Congo vs Uzbekistan ends in a draw
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Uzbekistan beats DR Congo by a margin of less than eight
Published on June 27, 2026
