Why Are World Cup Games Kicking Off at the Same Time?

World Cup 2026 has entered its final round of group games, which means both matches in each of the 12 groups will kick off at the same time. The reason the World Cup brought in simultaneous kick-offs for the final round of matches goes back to the 1982 World Cup and the "Disgrace of Gijon" - the infamous match between West Germany and Austria where they played out a result that allowed both teams to advance at the expense of Algeria.

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With Algeria in position to qualify from the group and having played their final game the previous day, West Germany and Austria entered the match knowing that a narrow victory for the Germans would keep both teams in the tournament and knock out Algeria on goal difference. At the 1986 World Cup, FIFA changed the tournament format so final group matches took place simultaneously, therefore making it harder for teams to 'fix' a result that was mutually beneficial beforehand because the other match in the group may impact the standings at the same time.

Ironically, the format of this World Cup may change things again. The introduction of head-to-head as the tiebreaker between teams level on points, rather than goal difference, means some games will see two teams go into their final round of matches with a clearer understanding of their position in the table and what they need to advance. And, to add further irony, this may benefit Algeria in a match against Austria. With Argentina already confirmed as the winners of Group J, and with four points extremely likely to be good enough to progress even if a team finishes third in their group, Algeria and Austria know they can both advance with a draw in Kansas City. This is also the case for Australia and Paraguay in Group D. However, there is also incentive for Austria to lose the match, as the runner-up of Group J would go through to play Spain, one of the tournament favourites, in the last-32, while the team that finishes third will have a much more favourable knockout stage match against Belgium or Egypt.

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