The final Group J match between Austria and Algeria at the 2026 FIFA World Cup ended in a 3-3 draw, but the result sparked a new debate after a thrilling contest.
As a result of this draw, both teams reached the elimination stage, while Iran was out of the game, which the Iranian fans protested strongly and demanded an investigation by FIFA.
Algerian captain Riyad Mahrez’s statements after the match made the match even more suspicious.
Riyaz Mohrez said that the situation was a bit strange. While the Austrians mostly played back, we tried to play fast. Then at the last moment the ball came to me, so I had to try to score. I respect the rules of the game and football.
Mahrez said that the good thing for them was that they (Austria) also scored and they were skilled. We both reached the next stage and that was the most important thing today.
The Algerian captain said about his injury-time goal: “I know it was an embarrassing situation, but what would I have done if the ball had come to me?
After these statements of Riyaz Mahrez, speculations about fixing the match also appeared on social networks, but so far no official response or investigation has been announced by FIFA or any relevant agency.
🇩🇿 The truth has come out. Algerian captain Mahrez admits: “I should have scored against Austria. I know it’s a shame.” Translation: the result has been fixed. They go ahead. Iran withdrew. This is cheating. Now FIFA should investigate. But they won’t. 🇮🇷 pic.twitter.com/Hkj8X642Wo
– Muhammad Al Shami June 28, 2026
It should be noted that the match is reminiscent of the famous ‘Gikhon glory’ in 1982 when the controversial result between West Germany and Austria knocked Algeria out of the World Cup.
This time, some fans claimed on social networks that both teams had achieved a result in favor of both teams, but both teams denied these claims.
Iranian fans shared several videos of the match and claimed that at some moments it seemed that both teams did not seriously try to win.
Austrian coach Ralf Rangnick, on the other hand, vehemently denied any collusion, saying that such a dramatic last-minute finish would never have been seen if it had been a pre-scheduled match.
Algeria coach Vladimir Petković also said that the 3-3 result is proof that only football won on the field and not a conspiracy.
Now in the knockout stage, Austria will face Spain and Algeria will face Switzerland.
