France and Argentina in the playoffs: Key results from Groups I and J at the 2026 World Cup

The 2022 World Cup finalists, France and Argentina, secured a place in the playoffs following their second-round matches in Groups I and J at the 2026 World Cup.

France predictably crushed Iraq 3-0 in Group I. That match was interrupted by heavy rain, but the forced break didn’t help the Iraqis.

The second team to secure a place in the playoffs from Group I was Norway, who beat Senegal 3-2 in a difficult match.

Now France and Norway will decide the qualifying first and second places in the third round, while Senegal and Iraq will decide the fate of third place, which could theoretically also be a pass to the playoffs.

The tournament table in Group I looks like this:

In Group J, the reigning world champions, Argentina, defeated Austria 2-0 and secured their place in the playoffs as first place.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi set two records in the match against Austria. He scored twice, bringing his World Cup tally to 18, breaking Miroslav Klose’s previous record of 16. He also set the record for most matches won. This victory marked the 18th World Cup victory of the Argentina captain’s career.

Argentina’s next match against Jordan has no tournament significance for its participants.

But it is important for Algeria, which snatched a 2-1 victory over Jordan and will play for second place against Austria in the third round.

Following Matchday 2, the standings in Group J look like this:

On Tuesday, June 23, Groups K and L will host the Portugal vs. Uzbekistan and England vs. Ghana matches. Kickoffs are at 8:00 PM and 11:00 PM Kyiv time.

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