Algeria boosted their chances of reaching the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup after coming from behind to defeat Jordan 2-1 in a Group J encounter on Monday, a result that ended the Asian side’s debut campaign in the tournament.
Jordan took the lead through Nizar Al-Rashdan, but Algeria responded with an equaliser from Amine Gouiri before Nadhir Benbouali struck the decisive goal in the 82nd minute in Santa Clara.
The victory keeps Algeria’s qualification hopes alive ahead of their final group match against Austria in Kansas City on Saturday.
Earlier on Monday, Austria suffered a 2-0 defeat to Argentina, leaving the South Americans at the top of Group J with six points from two matches.
In Philadelphia, France strengthened their position in Group I with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Iraq in a match delayed by more than two hours due to severe weather conditions.
Captain Kylian Mbappe marked his 100th appearance for France in style, scoring twice to guide Les Bleus to victory. The forward opened the scoring in the 14th minute before adding his second nine minutes into the second half. Ousmane Dembele, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, also found the net for the tournament favourites.
Mbappe’s brace took his World Cup tally to 16 goals, leaving him just two behind Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who earlier set a new tournament record of 18 goals after scoring twice in his side’s win over Austria.
The match at Lincoln Financial Field began under dry conditions but was halted at half-time as a powerful storm swept across Philadelphia. Heavy rainfall intensified towards the end of the first half, prompting officials to instruct supporters to leave the open seating areas and seek shelter in covered sections of the stadium.
With much of the 68,324-capacity venue uncovered, thousands of fans crowded into the concourses while waiting for conditions to improve.
Play eventually resumed more than two hours later, marking the first weather-related delay of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
