2026 World Cup: Haiti and Turkey, the first nations eliminated from the tournament

The 2026 World Cup has already delivered its first verdicts. After just two days of the group stage, Haiti and Turkey have become the first two teams officially eliminated from the competition. Haiti was the first nation to see its qualification hopes vanish. Losing 3-0 to Brazil in Philadelphia, the Grenadiers suffered a second consecutive defeat in Group C. A few days earlier, they had already lost by the narrowest of margins against Scotland (1-0).

With zero points on the board after two matches, the Haitians can no longer mathematically reach the round of 16, regardless of the outcome of their final group match. Turkey has faced the same fate. Opposed to Paraguay, the Turkish team lost 1-0, marking their second consecutive defeat in the tournament after their opening loss to Australia.

Stuck on zero points, the Turks are also officially eliminated from the qualification race even before the last day. Their final group match against the United States will only impact the final standings of the group. In contrast, several teams have already made a serious claim for qualification, while the battle is set to be intense for the last spots in the knockout phase.