Haiti, Türkiye crash out of 2026 FIFA World Cup
June 20, 2026 6:53 am
Brazil’s forward #09 Matheus Cunha celebrates after winning the 2026 World Cup Group C football match between Brazil and Haiti at the Philadelphia Stadium in Philadelphia on June 19, 2026. (Photo AFP)
Haiti and Türkiye have been knocked out of the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup following defeats on Friday.
In Philadelphia, United, States, five-time champions, Brazil, cruised to a 3-0 victory over Haiti in Group C, mathematically ending the Caribbean side’s hopes of advancing.
Matheus Cunha fired Brazil ahead with a close-range tap-in after Vinicius Jr’s shot was parried, before doubling the lead with a powerful strike from inside the box.
Vinicius Jr added a third deep in first-half stoppage time.
The result leaves Haiti bottom of Group C with zero points from two matches and a goal difference of -4.
Their final group game against Morocco on June 24 will now be a dead rubber.
Brazil, meanwhile, moved top of the group on goal difference ahead of Morocco.
In Group D, Türkiye suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Paraguay at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium and joined Haiti in exiting the tournament.
Matias Galarza scored the fastest goal of the 2026 World Cup so far, netting after just 64 seconds to give Paraguay a vital win.
Despite late pressure and a Paraguayan red card in stoppage time, Türkiye could not find an equaliser.
The loss leaves them with two defeats from two games and no points, confirming their elimination with one match still to play.
Paraguay kept their slim qualification hopes alive ahead of their final fixture against Australia.
Both nations made history in different ways. Haiti returned to the World Cup for the first time since 1974, while Türkiye’s campaign ended prematurely despite high expectations.
Saheed is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over two years of experience covering metro, technology, sports, politics, and human-interest stories. He focuses on producing clear, engaging reports across diverse beats. Saheed’s work reflects hands-on newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate and balanced journalism.
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