Although the second round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup has not yet finished, there are already teams that know they will not be moving forward in the tournament. Two different countries have already had to bid their chances of moving into the knockout phase farewell, and while one of them was expected not to move through, the other came as quite a surprise.
As part of Group C, bunched with Brazil, Morocco, and Scotland, Haiti was never expected to advance past the group stage. Unfortunately for its fans, the prediction came true after only two matches played by the team. They began the 2026 World Cup with a 0:1 loss against Scotland. This already put them in a tough position, as out of all of their opponents, Scotland was considered the weakest one.
Their fate was sealed after a game against Brazil, in which they conceded three goals and scored none of their own. Morocco and Brazil both already have four points, and if Haiti were to win their last match, they would still not reach the positions that allow for direct qualification. Of course, qualifying from the third spot in the group is also a possibility, but even with the hypothetical three points, Haiti would not reach it. That is because Scotland already has three points, and if the two teams were tied, it is they who will finish higher, given that they had won the match the two teams played against each other.
The new head-to-head rules also spelled out the end of Tunisia’s time in the 2026 World Cup. They started the tournament with a 5:1 loss against Sweden, which was followed by a 0:4 defeat against Japan. This meant that, just like Haiti, they lost their chance of reaching the third spot in their group.
Group D’s Türkiye had found itself in an almost identical situation. First, they lost 2:0 against Australia, and then 0:1 against Paraguay. This leaves them with zero points going into the third matchday. Just as was the case for Haiti, even winning their one remaining game would not be enough to push them into the third spot in the group’s leaderboard. Therefore, the match they are set to play against the US will be their last chance to make an impression in the 2026 World Cup.
While most people expected Haiti and Tunisia not to advance into the knockout phase, the same cannot be said about Türkiye. They were often named the dark horse of the competition, so the quick elimination came as a surprise for many fans. Arda Güler, Türkiye’s wonderkid, was heartbroken when he spoke out after the final game:
“We tried very hard , but it didn’t work. But we should have scored some goals (…)We should have won these games … Everybody’s sad, everybody’s crying.”
Surprising or not, the eliminations broke the hearts of fans who are now set to watch their teams play games that will have no impact on the World Cup. For Haiti, Tunisia, and Türkiye, the last matchday will be a game of honour, but not one that will erease the disappointment of an early elimination.
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