World Cup 2026: The 5 most important games remaining in the group stage
The group stage really gets frenetic on Wednesday.
The final four days of group stage play each contain six games across three different times. Each group will play its final games simultaneously and some games mean more than others.
Here are the five games we think are most important from Wednesday through Saturday.
Group B: Switzerland vs. Canada (3 p.m. ET, Wednesday, June 24)
Canada enters this game with a significant goal differential advantage thanks to its win over Qatar. Both teams are tied on four points, but Canada's goal differential is plus-6 and Switzerland's is plus-3.
That gives Canada the group win if there's a draw. And that cushion can let Canada be pragmatic if it wants, knowing that it can only lose first in the group with a loss.
World Cup schedule | Group schedule, results | Standings
Switzerland will want to push for the win. First place is much better than second in this group. The Group winner gets a third-place team in the Round of 32, while the team finishing second will get the second-place team from Group D in the first round. Oh, and as an added bonus for Canada? The Group B winner gets to stay in Canada for two rounds.
Group I: Norway vs. France (3 p.m. ET, Friday, June 26)
Erling Haaland vs. Kylian Mbappé to win the group is fun, isn't it? Both are in the thick of the race for the Golden Boot award and there's little incentive for Norway to play for a draw. Both teams are tied on six points and France's goal differential is better by one.
The group winner gets a third-place team in the first round, while the runner-up could play Ivory Coast. But things could get tricky for either team in the Round of 16. A likely matchup with Germany awaits the group winner, while the second-place team will probably have to deal with Brazil.
Group H: Uruguay vs. Spain (8 p.m. ET, Friday, June 26)
Uruguay has not been very impressive so far this tournament with ties against both Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia. And now it doesn't have any margin for error.
Spain leads the group with four points, while Uruguay and Cape Verde each have two points and Saudi Arabia has one. Uruguay's only way to guarantee advancement is with a win. A tie may not be good enough if there's a winner in the other group game.
Spain wants at least a tie, because a loss would drop it to second or even third in the group. And second place isn't a great spot to be in the knockout rounds. Whoever finishes second draws Argentina in the Round of 32, while the winner of the group gets either Austria or Algeria.
Group G: New Zealand vs. Belgium (11 p.m. ET, Friday, June 26)
Belgium is third in Group G on two points while New Zealand is fourth on one point. But if you assume that Egypt will beat Iran to win the group, this is an incredibly important game since the winner would finish second in the group and the loser would be out of the tournament.
And the second-place finisher from Group G has an incredibly winnable Round of 32 game. Whoever does get the No. 2 spot will play either Australia or Paraguay in the Round of 32. Pay no mind to Argentina in the Round of 16. That's another problem for another day. But facing the second-place team from Group B is much more preferable to sneaking in as a third-place team or heading home.
Group K: Colombia vs. Portugal (7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, June 27)
Portugal got its groove back in a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan. How long will that high last? If you're a soccer fan hoping to see two of the greatest of all time play each other one last time in the World Cup, you're rooting for a Portugal win.
If Portugal wins, it clinches Group K with 7 points. The group winner gets a third-place team in the Round of 32 before likely playing the winner of Group B in the Round of 16. And if Portugal were to win the group and win those two games? A meeting with Lionel Messi and Argentina in the quarterfinals on July 11 could be on the table.
