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The 2026 World Cup presents competing nations with a far greater chance of progressing to the knockout phase than most of the previous tournaments ever have.
The decision to expand the field to 48 teams from 32 means there is an additional knockout round. That means all but 16 nations will get to continue their campaigns beyond the group stage.
Of course, the expansion will not be good news for everyone. There will still be bitter disappointment for those who are eliminated early on, just as there will be for those that falter in the knockouts — especially those teams who are expected to go deep in the tournament.
Below is an updated list of those teams whose World Cup 2026 campaign has already come to an end.
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Teams out of World Cup 2026
The nature of the expanded tournament means there will be few teams confirmed to be eliminated before we get to the final round of group matches.
That's because eight of the best third-place sides will progress to the knockouts alongside the top two from each group, and those third-place standings will not become clear until all games on matchday three have been completed.
However, after group play, we have the teams that are definitely not going through to the next round.
Teams eliminated from World Cup 2026
| Nation | FIFA Ranking | Date Eliminated | Stage Eliminated | How Eliminated |
| Haiti | 83 | June 20 | Group stage | 1-0 loss vs. Scotland, 3-0 loss vs. Brazil |
| Turkey | 22 | June 20 | Group stage | 2-0 loss vs. Australia, 1-0 loss vs. Paraguay |
| Tunisia | 45 | June 21 | Group stage | 5-1 loss vs. Sweden, 4-0 loss vs. Japan |
| Iraq | 63 | June 23 | Group stage | 4-1 loss vs. Norway, 3-0 loss vs. France, 5-0 loss vs. Senegal |
| Panama | 42 | June 23 | Group stage | 1-0 loss vs. Ghana, 1-0 loss vs. Croatia |
| Qatar | 61 | June 24 | Group stage | 6-0 loss vs. Canada, 3-1 loss vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Czechia | 48 | June 24 | Group stage | 2-1 loss vs. South Korea, 3-0 loss vs. Mexico |
| Curacao | 90 | June 25 | Group stage | 7-1 loss vs. Germany, 1-0 loss vs. Cape Verde |
| Uruguay | 16 | June 26 | Group stage | 1-0 loss vs. Spain, 2-2 tie vs. Cape Verde, 1-1 tie vs. Saudi Arabia |
| Saudi Arabia | 58 | June 26 | Group stage | 4-0 loss vs. Spain, 1-1 draw vs. Uruguay, 0-0 draw vs. Cape Verde |
| New Zealand | 86 | June 26 | Group stage | 2-2 tie vs. Iran, 3-1 loss vs. Egypt, 5-1 loss vs. Belgium |
| Scotland | 42 | June 27 | Group stage | 1-0 loss vs. Morocco, 3-0 loss vs. Brazil |
| Uzbekistan | 60 | June 27 | Group stage | 3-1 loss vs. Colombia, 5-0 loss vs. Portugal, 3-1 loss vs. DR Congo |
| South Korea | 31 | June 27 | Group stage | 1-0 loss vs. Mexico, 1-0 loss vs. South Africa |
| Iran | 21 | June 27 | Group stage | 1-1 draw vs. Egypt, 0-0 draw vs. Belgium, 2-2 draw vs. New Zealand |
| Jordan | 73 | June 27 | Group stage | 3-1 loss vs. Austria, 2-1 loss to Algeria, 3-1 loss to Argentina |
| South Africa | 54 | June 28 | Round of 32 | 1-0 loss vs. Canada |
Haiti, Turkey, Ghana and Tunisia became the first four teams to be eliminated from the 2026 World Cup. The reason they were knocked out so early is partly because of a new rule relating to group-stage tie-breakers: teams are now ranked in each group by virtue of their record against one another if they are level on points.
South Africa became the first team to be eliminated in the knockout round with its 1-0 loss to Canada in the Round of 32.
MORE: Teams to qualify for Round of 32 | Updated group scenarios
What are World Cup group tiebreaker rules?
FIFA confirmed its group-stage tie-breaking criteria for this World Cup back in April.
If two or more teams are level on points after the group games have been completed, the below is applied to determine the final standings:
- Head-to-head result in the group game(s) between the teams concerned
- Goal difference from those games
- Goals scored in those games
If these are not enough to split the teams, we move to the following criteria:
- Goal difference in all group matches
- Number of goals scored in all group matches
- The highest "team conduct score" (calculated based on yellow and red cards for players and staff)
If the teams are still deadlocked, the nation that places highest in the most recent FIFA rankings will finish higher in the standings.
WORLD CUP GROUP STANDINGS:
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F
Group G | Group H | Group I | Group J | Group K | Group L
Do third-place teams advance at World Cup 2026?
In this expanded tournament, the eight best teams that finish third in their group will also progress to the Round of 32.
The third-place teams will be ranked by the following criteria:
- Most points in the group stage
- Highest goal difference in the group stage
- Most goals scored in the group stage
- Highest "team conduct score"
- Highest FIFA ranking
MORE: Updated World Cup third place standings
How many teams play in the World Cup?
Previously, since 1998, there were 32 nations that qualified for the World Cup.
However, starting in 2026, the field was expanded to 48 teams.
This means an additional four groups in the opening phase of the competition, plus an extra stage in the knockouts (the Round of 32). All told, that means the winning team at the tournament will play eight games in total.
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