As Australia and Paraguay played to a draw, South Korea slipped down another notch in the competition among third-placed teams vying for a spot in the Round of 32.

Australia and Paraguay played to a 0-0 draw in their third Group D match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in California, U.S., on Friday (June 26).

Both teams recorded one win, one draw, and one loss, earning 4 points each.

Australia and Paraguay finished second and third in the group, respectively, behind co-host United States, which had already secured first place.

Australia scored 2 goals and conceded 2, while Paraguay scored 2 and conceded 4, separating their rankings by goal difference.

In this tournament, not only the first and second-place teams from the 12 groups, but also the top eight third-placed teams will advance to the Round of 32.

Paraguay, with 4 points, has increased its chances of finishing at least in the top eight among the third-placed teams.

The U.S. lost 2-3 to Türkiye, finishing the group stage with two wins, one loss, and 6 points.

Türkiye, which had already been eliminated, secured its first win of the tournament late, finishing with one win, two losses, and 3 points.

The U.S. will play its Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the third-place team in Group B, on July 2 at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.

Australia will compete for a spot in the Round of 16 against the runner-up of Group G on July 4 at Dallas Stadium in the U.S.

Following the draw between Australia and Paraguay, South Korea, which finished with one win, two losses, and 3 points in Group A, slipped to sixth place in the ranking of third-placed teams.

South Korea scored 2 goals and conceded 3 in the group stage.

Both second-place Australia and Paraguay played cautiously, as a draw would highly likely secure a spot in the Round of 32 for Paraguay as a third-place team.

Although Australia dominated possession and controlled the flow of the game, they failed to break through Paraguay's dense defense.

Australia led in shots, 12 to 7.

However, they only managed 5 shots on target, lacking sharpness in their attack.

Paraguay had only two shots on target, both coming in the second half.

Meanwhile, Türkiye defeated the U.S. in their match held at the Los Angeles Stadium in California.

The two teams faced each other with their standings already determined.

The U.S. took the lead just three minutes into the match.

Auston Trusty controlled a corner kick delivered by Sebastian Berhalter from the left side of the opponent's half, positioning himself on the right side of the goal area.

Trusty slotted the ball into the net with a left-footed shot.

Türkiye quickly leveled the score.

In the 10th minute, Arda Güler received a pass from Barış Alper Yılmaz from the right side of the penalty area.

Güler calmly finished with a left-footed shot from the center of the goal.

It was Türkiye's first goal of the tournament.

In the 29th minute, Mark McKenzie's goal from a U.S. corner kick was disallowed for offside.

Having survived the scare, Türkiye succeeded in turning the game around in the 31st minute.

After breaking down the U.S. defense with quick, short passes, Eren Elmalı crossed the ball to the center from near the left endline inside the penalty area.

Orkun Kökçü tapped it in with his right foot in front of the goal to score.

Trailing 1-2 at halftime, the U.S. restored parity four minutes into the second half with a "torpedo shot" by Berhalter.

Berhalter's right-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area stayed low and headed toward the left side of the goal.

The ball lifted slightly and shook the net.

Berhalter recorded one goal and one assist in the match.

In the 28th minute of the second half, the U.S. faced a frustrating moment when Ricardo Pepi's overhead kick was mishit, deflected off Christian Pulisic's foot, grazed the goalkeeper's hand, and struck the post.

Then, in the 53rd minute of the second half, eight minutes into stoppage time, Kaan Ayhan scored a dramatic winning goal.

This goal sealed the contrasting fates of the two teams.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)