Three countries have been eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup after their hopes of reaching the Round of 32 were officially extinguished following the second round of group-stage matches.
Tunisia joined Haiti and Turkey on the list of eliminated teams after a heavy defeat to Japan confirmed they could no longer progress from Group F.
The trio exit the tournament under different circumstances, but all three nations have been unable to secure the results needed to keep their campaigns alive heading into the final round of group fixtures.
Tunisia’s difficult campaign
Tunisia became the latest side to bow out after suffering a 4-0 defeat to Japan at Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe, Mexico.
The loss left the North Africans rooted to the bottom of Group F without a point from two matches, making qualification mathematically impossible.
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Their elimination capped a difficult period for the team, which had already endured a 5-1 defeat to Sweden in its opening fixture.
The disappointing start triggered major changes within the camp, including the dismissal of head coach, Sabri Lamouchi, and the appointment of former Saudi Arabia manager, Herve Renard.
However, the managerial change failed to halt the slide as Japan dominated proceedings from the opening minutes.
Tunisia will now play the Netherlands in their final group match with only pride left to fight for.
Turkey leave despite dominance
Turkey’s elimination has been one of the more surprising stories of the tournament.
Despite controlling large portions of their matches and creating numerous scoring opportunities, Vincenzo Montella’s side failed to register a single goal across their opening two games.
According to Opta, Turkey attempted 62 shots without scoring, the highest number of attempts by any team across a two-match span at the World Cup since records began in 1966.
Their attacking numbers underline the frustration surrounding their campaign.
Turkey enjoyed 71.6 per cent possession against Australia and 78.5 per cent possession against Paraguay. Against Paraguay, they played much of the game against 10 men following Miguel Almiron’s dismissal but still failed to find a breakthrough.
Turkey recorded an expected goals (xG) figure of 1.33 against Australia compared to their opponents’ 0.77, yet lost the match.
Against Paraguay, they produced an xG of 2.1 compared to Paraguay’s 0.32 but were again unable to score.
Over the course of the two matches, they registered more than 100 touches inside opposition penalty areas and consistently dominated territory and possession.
Haiti’s early exit
Haiti also saw their World Cup journey come to an end after suffering consecutive defeats in Group C.
The Caribbean nation remained within touching distance of third place on points but were eliminated due to the tournament’s head-to-head tiebreak system.
Their defeat to Scotland proved decisive, preventing them from overtaking Steve Clarke’s side even if they were to finish level on points.
Haiti therefore became one of the earliest teams to be knocked out of the tournament despite showing flashes of competitiveness during the group stage.
Head-to-head rule plays key role
The elimination of Haiti and Turkey has also highlighted the impact of FIFA’s new group-stage tiebreaking system.
For the first time in World Cup history, teams level on points are separated first by head-to-head results rather than overall goal difference.
The change has allowed teams to be eliminated earlier than would have been possible under previous rules.
While some teams have benefited from the system by securing qualification ahead of schedule, others have found their hopes ended despite remaining close to their rivals in the standings.
More exits expected
With one round of group matches still to be played, more teams are expected to join Tunisia, Haiti and Turkey among those heading home.
Several groups remain finely balanced, while others could see qualification and elimination issues settled before the final whistle of the last group-stage fixtures.
For now, however, Tunisia, Haiti and Turkey hold the unwanted distinction of becoming the first nations eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
