World Cup 2026 group stage grades: Every eliminated team ranked after early exit

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is barely into its group stage, and the graveyard is already crowded. Seven teams have been eliminated from the tournament as of June 26, with Haiti, Türkiye, Tunisia, Jordan, Panama, Qatar, and Czechia all booking early flights home.

Here’s the thing about an expanded 48-team World Cup: more teams means more losers. And a FIFA rule change that allows elimination after just two group matches has accelerated the process, turning what used to be a slow bleed into something closer to a trap door.

The early exits, graded

Haiti: D-

Haiti earned the unfortunate distinction of being the first team eliminated from the entire tournament. A 1-0 loss to Scotland was competitive enough to inspire some hope, but a 3-0 defeat to Brazil erased any illusions. Two matches, zero goals scored, four conceded.

Türkiye: D

Türkiye entered the tournament with genuine expectations, a talented squad headlined by Arda Güler, and a fanbase that traveled in serious numbers. What they got was a 2-0 loss to Australia followed by a 1-0 defeat to Paraguay. No goals scored across two matches. Güler himself publicly apologized to fans after the exit.

Arda Güler expressed regret for the team’s performance to disappointed fans following Türkiye’s elimination.

Tunisia: D

Tunisia dropped matches to Sweden and Japan.

Jordan: D

Jordan’s losses came against Austria and Algeria.

Panama: D+

Qatar: D

As host of the 2022 tournament, Qatar became the first host nation to lose all three group stage matches. Now, as a regular qualifier in 2026, they’ve exited early again.

Czechia: D+

The format factor

The expanded 48-team format features groups of three teams instead of four, with only two group matches before the knockout rounds begin. A FIFA rule change has made it possible for teams to be mathematically eliminated before the final group match is even played. In this tournament, seven nations were confirmed out while other groups still had games remaining.

The total number of group stage casualties is expected to reach 16 out of 48 by the time the round concludes.

Every eliminated team lost both of their matches, meaning none of them managed even a draw across their two outings. That’s a collective record of 0 wins, 0 draws, and 14 losses from seven teams. Not a single point earned among them.

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