Soccer-England, Portugal and Egypt among five teams to seal World Cup knockout spots

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group L - England v Ghana - Boston Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, U.S. - June 23, 2026 England's Harry Kane and Reece James applaud fans after the match IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Winslow Townson

June 26 (Reuters) - ⁠England, Portugal, Egypt, ⁠Ghana and Paraguay secured ‌places in the World Cup Round of 32 on ​Friday before their ⁠final group ⁠matches after results elsewhere confirmed ⁠four ‌points would be enough ⁠to progress.

• Uruguay's defeat by ​Spain ‌and Cape Verde's draw ⁠with ​Saudi Arabia in Group H guaranteed qualification ⁠for the five teams.

• ​France will face Sweden in the Round of ⁠32 after winning Group I.

• Germany will take on Paraguay in ​the ⁠last-32 after the South ​Americans advanced from ‌Group D.

(Reporting by ​Hatem Maher, Editing by Ken Ferris)