Iran's players celebrate after scoring against Egypt. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Iran played out its third consecutive draw of FIFA World Cup 2026 as it came back to hold Egypt 1-1 in a dramatic Group G encounter in Seattle on Friday.

The result placed Iran provisionally sixth in the third-placed teams’ standings, with three points and a goal difference of zero. The Asian side’s fate will be finalised only on Saturday, with three more groups yet to finish their games.

How can Iran qualify for Round of 32?

As of now, Iran is assured of finishing above three teams in the third-placed teams’ standings – South Korea, Uruguay and Scotland.

For Iran to seal qualification it would require just one more team to finish below it in this table.

Iran can qualify if any one of this situation unfolds in the final round of fixtures:

• Croatia loses to Ghana by any margin
• Algeria loses to Austria by any margin
• Austria loses to Algeria by any margin
• DR Congo vs Uzbekistan ends in a draw
• Uzbekistan beats DR Congo by a margin less than eight

Published on Jun 27, 2026