Newssos
Spain's 1-0 defeat of Uruguay on Friday gave the Spaniards the Group H title and set up a Saturday-night finale in Kansas City with an unusual wrinkle: both Austria and Algeria, ranked 22nd and 29th in the FIFA world rankings, have measurable incentive to avoid winning their Group J showdown.
The Group J runner-up earns a first-round knockout matchup against Spain, ranked third in the FIFA world — a bracket outcome each side would prefer to sidestep.
Algeria's Calculus: The Draw Is the Goal For Algeria, a tie Saturday night is the clearest path forward.
A draw clinches a spot in the knockout round as a third-place finisher in Group J and places Algeria against one of Belgium, Switzerland, England, or Ghana rather than Spain.
Keep reading