Algeria vs Austria | FIFA World Cup 2026 — Group Stage | Preview and Prediction

African side Algeria will face tough European opponents in Austria in their final Group J game at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 28 at Kansas City Stadium in the US. 

For the game, here we present our preview and prediction.

FIFA WC26 | Group J: ALG vs AUT | 07:30 IST, June 28, 2026

Both Austria and Algeria will look to secure a place in the knockouts with a win in this game, as both teams have won one and lost one in their two respective group stage outings thus far. Although both teams beat Jordan and lost to Argentina, Austria come into this game with a superior goal difference.

Algeria recovered from going a goal down in the first half to beat Jordan 2–1. Nizar Al-Rashdan opened the scoring for Jordan in the 36th minute, and the Chivalrous Ones held on to the lead until the 70th minute, when Nadhir Benbouali equalised courtesy of a Riyadh Mahrez ball. Algeria had upped the ante significantly in the second half and reaped the reward with an 82nd-minute winner, with Amine Gouiri poking home from close range. Jordan were unable to find a riposte and lost a second consecutive match, which sealed the fate of their debut World Cup campaign.

As for Austria, they started their World Cup campaign with an emphatic 3–1 win over Jordan but lost to the defending champions in their second outing, 2–0, thanks to a Lionel Messi brace. Argentina dominated the affair with 54% possession, a cumulative xG of 2.54, and a total of 12 shots attempted and three big chances created en route to sealing their berth in the round of 32.

This is a massive chance for the Austrians to beat Algeria and go through to the round of 32, but in case they end up drawing the game, Austria could still go through on goal difference ahead of Algeria.

In terms of injuries, Algeria have one player unavailable, with Mohamed Amoura out with a hamstring problem, while Austria have a fully fit squad.

Austria came into this World Cup on the back of incredible form, having won their last three games, while Algeria too beat the Netherlands and Bolivia ahead of the World Cup. Form-wise, both teams have had decent outings. If we look at the quality of the two teams on paper, however, Austria have a slight edge. Ralf Rangnick is a shrewd tactician and will set them up to ensure they get a positive result, but Austria will have to make sure they remain focused for the entire game. We believe this game will end in an entertaining draw.

Score Prediction: Algeria 2–2 Austria
Venue: Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri, USA