Haiti, Turkey and now Tunisia have already been eliminated from World Cup 2026 with just two group-stage matches played. The trio of countries have been sent packing thanks to a newly introduced FIFA rule.
World Cup 2026 is well underway in North America and a handful of teams have already played out two of their three group stage matches.
For some countries, these games have resulted in six points and the likes of Mexico, Germany and the United States have already qualified for the upcoming knockout rounds.
But on the flip side, some teams have been knocked out after two consecutive losses. A new FIFA rule regarding head-to-head results has confirmed their elimination.
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Haiti were the first team to be officially sent packing. Making their first appearance at a World Cup since 1974, their campaign began with a 1-0 defeat to Scotland.
View 2 ImagesBrazil confirmed Haiti’s elimination(Image: Getty)
A 3-0 drubbing by Brazil followed, meaning they sit bottom of Group C on zero points, with Scotland ahead of them in third on three and only one match remaining.
If they beat Morocco by a wide margin and Scotland were hammered by Brazil, on goal difference, they’d be able to nab a best third-place finisher’s path to the knockouts in other competitions.
But a new FIFA rule change means goal difference is no longer the first port of call for determining group placings if teams finish level on points. Head-to-head points are now the first thing considered.
Because Haiti lost to Scotland and can now only finish with a maximum of three points, they cannot leapfrog them due to this negative head-to-head record and will therefore anchor the group in fourth place.
The same situation applies to the next nation that has been knocked out, Turkey. Despite entering Group D with considerable fanfare around their potential, they fell to Australia 2-0 in their opening game.
A shock 1-0 defeat to Paraguay was next. Both Australia and Paraguay sit on three points, with the USA topping the group on six. Because they lost to both Australia and Paraguay on head-to-head points, the eliminated Turkey cannot finish above them and will end up fourth in their group.
In the early hours of Sunday morning for those tuning in in the United Kingdom, Tunisia became the third team officially knocked out of World Cup 2026.
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They began their campaign against Sweden and were defeated 5-1. Japan then put them to the sword 4-0 and since they cannot finish above Sweden under the new head-to-head rules, they too have been eliminated.
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