On this episode of The Underdog World Cup Show, Chris Horwedel previews the final day of the 2026 World Cup group stage, with six games across three groups set to complete the Round of 32 picture. The show opens with France’s emphatic Group I finish, as Ousmane Dembélé delivers a first-half hat trick, Désiré Doué adds another goal, and France closes group play with a perfect 9 points, 10 goals scored, and a plus-8 goal difference.
Chris also covers Senegal’s big win over Iraq and what it means for the expanded tournament’s third-place race, plus Cape Verde making World Cup history as the smallest country ever to reach the knockout stage after drawing Saudi Arabia. Group H also features Spain, topping the group with a controlled performance against Uruguay, finishing with 7 points and no goals conceded, while Belgium finally finds its attack in Group G behind Leandro Trossard, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Alexis Saelemaekers. Egypt also advances after its draw with Iran, while Iran’s unbeaten group-stage run ends in frustration.
The episode then previews the final group-stage slate: Panama vs. England and Croatia vs. Ghana in Group L, Colombia vs. Portugal and DR Congo vs. Uzbekistan in Group K, and Jordan vs. Argentina and Algeria vs. Austria in Group J. Chris uses odds from oddsmakers to frame the stakes around England’s push for first, Ghana’s defensive strength, Croatia’s urgency, Colombia and Portugal’s battle for Group K, DR Congo’s survival hopes, Argentina’s likely rotation, Messi’s hot start, and Algeria-Austria as a knockout-style group finale.