Tunisia, Haiti and Türkiye have become the first countries to be eliminated from the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup after suffering defeats that ended their hopes of progressing beyond the group stage.
Tunisia’s exit was confirmed on Sunday following a crushing 4-0 loss to Japan at Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico. The defeat left the North African side without a point from its opening two Group F matches, making it impossible for the team to qualify for the Round of 32 with only one group game remaining.
The Carthage Eagles had already endured a difficult start to the tournament after suffering a heavy 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opening fixture.
The result ensured that Tunisia joined Haiti and Türkiye as the first casualties of the expanded World Cup competition.
In Group C, five-time world champions Brazil secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Haiti in Philadelphia, a result that officially ended the Caribbean nation’s hopes of advancing to the knockout rounds.
The defeat left Haiti rooted to the bottom of the Group C standings with zero points from two matches and a goal difference of minus four. With no route to qualification remaining, Haiti’s final group-stage encounter against Morocco on June 24 will have no bearing on progression from the group.
Türkiye also saw its World Cup journey come to an end after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Paraguay at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Group D. The loss compounded the disappointment of an earlier defeat and left the European side without a point after two matches.
Having lost both of their opening games, Türkiye can no longer finish in a position that would secure passage to the next round. The result confirmed their elimination with one group fixture still left to play, making them the third nation to be knocked out of the tournament.
