Group Stage Elimination

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is already thinning out as the group stage moves into its decisive stretch. Five teams have now been eliminated, even as co-hosts the United States and Mexico, along with Germany, Argentina, France and Norway, have already booked their places in the knockout rounds. For the teams heading home, the exits have come in very different ways. Some were undone by heavy defeats, others by narrow losses, but each has now lost the chance to extend its World Cup run. Haiti Haiti’s return to the World Cup ended the same way it began in 1974, with no points and no goals. The team fell 1-0 to Scotland in its opener and later saw elimination confirmed by a 3-0 loss to Brazil. That first match came close to changing the story, with Frantzdy Pierrot nearly finding an equaliser late on. Haiti will finish its campaign against Morocco, but the result will no longer alter its fate. Türkiye Türkiye arrived in Group D with real optimism, but the tournament has turned into a major disappointment. Despite 62 shots across two matches, the team failed to score and exited after losses to Australia and Paraguay. The numbers underline how costly the finish was. Türkiye became the first team since 1966 to register that many shots in two World Cup matches without scoring a goal. Tunisia Tunisia also left the competition after a difficult run in a tough group featuring the Netherlands, Japan and Sweden. The team conceded nine goals in two matches, including a 5-1 defeat to Sweden and a 4-0 loss to Japan. Head coach Sabri Lamouchi was dismissed after the Sweden defeat, but the change did not reverse the team’s fortunes. Herve Renard’s arrival brought no immediate turnaround, and Tunisia’s exit quickly became inevitable. Jordan Jordan could not replicate the surprise runs of other debutants, but the team still created moments to remember. Ali Olwan scored Jordan’s first-ever World Cup goal in a 3-1 loss to Austria, and Nizar Al Rashdan later added another memorable strike in a 2-1 defeat to Algeria. Drawn with Argentina, Algeria and Austria, Jordan faced one of the toughest groups in the tournament. The team’s final group game will still be played, but its World Cup journey is already over. Panama Panama became the latest side to crash out after a 1-0 loss to Croatia, sealed by Ante Budimir’s second-half goal. That result followed a 1-0 defeat to Ghana, which arrived in the 95th minute and left Panama needing a rapid response that never came. The Croatia match also marked Luka Modric’s 200th international cap and his fifth World Cup appearance. For Panama, though, the final group game against England now carries only the chance to finish with some pride. As the tournament continues, more teams will soon join this list. For the five already eliminated, the final group fixtures can no longer change the reality of an early exit. Read more at: www.espn.com

World Cup 2026 Elimination Race Tightens, 5 Teams Already Out