Poland 2026: Argentina, Advance as Benin, Tanzania Crushed, Exit
Argentina has joined Brazil and hosts Poland in the Round of 16 of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2026, while Canada must wait for the remaining groups to finish before knowing their fate.
Benin Republic, Tanzania and Mexico, however, have seen their campaigns come to an end after Friday’s decisive Group A and B matches.
Poland and Brazil maintained their perfect records, while Argentina staged a stunning late comeback against Mexico to keep their knockout hopes alive.
Poland Cruise Past Benin
Hosts Poland finished Group A with a perfect nine points after defeating debutants Benin Republic 4-1 in Bielsko-Biala.
Zuzanna Grzywinska was the star of the show, scoring a hat-trick to underline Poland’s credentials as one of the tournament’s leading contenders.
She opened the scoring in the 26th minute before Kinga Wyrwas doubled the hosts’ advantage five minutes later.
Grzywinska added two more goals in the 63rd and 70th minutes to complete her treble, while Romaine Gandonou scored a late consolation for Benin in the 87th minute.
Poland finished top of the group with three wins from three, while Benin ended their historic debut without a point.
Argentina Leave It Late Against Mexico
Argentina secured second place in Group A after a dramatic 3-2 victory over Mexico.
Annika Paz put Argentina ahead in the 29th minute, but Mexico turned the match around through Deiry Ramirez, who scored twice in six minutes.
Argentina responded in the closing stages, with Alma Velasco Heim equalising in the 78th minute.
Dolo Delgado then delivered the decisive blow, scoring in the second minute of stoppage time to complete Argentina’s comeback.
The victory sent Argentina into the Round of 16 and eliminated Mexico.
Paz’s goal also took her tournament tally to five, keeping her firmly in contention for the Golden Boot.
Brazil Finish With Three Wins
Brazil also completed a perfect group-stage campaign after defeating England 2-1 in a dramatic finish.
England took the lead through Lily Dent in the 31st minute, but Brazil fought back in the second half.
Clarinha converted a penalty in the 76th minute to restore parity before Gisele scored the winning goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Brazil finished Group B with nine points from three matches and seven goals scored.
England also progressed despite the defeat, finishing second with four points.
The Young Lionesses edged Canada on the team conduct tiebreaker after the two sides finished level on points and goal difference.
Canada Must Wait
Canada kept their Round of 16 hopes alive by crushing Tanzania 6-0.
An own goal from Ester Masek gave Canada an early advantage before Olivia Chisholm doubled the lead shortly after half-time.
Annabelle Chukwu then scored twice, with Kaylee Hunter and Liana Tarasco completing the rout.
The result left Canada on four points and third in Group B.
Canada must now wait for the other groups to be completed to discover whether their points total will be enough to earn one of the six best third-place qualification spots.
Tanzania finished bottom of the group without a point and with a -13 goal difference.
Results at a Glance
- Poland 4-1 Benin Republic
- Argentina 3-2 Mexico
- Brazil 2-1 England
- Canada 6-0 Tanzania
With the Round of 16 picture beginning to take shape, attention now turns to the remaining groups as more teams battle to stay alive at Poland 2026.
