Turkey and Haiti have become the first nations to be eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup after suffering defeats in their opening two group-stage matches.
Turkey’s exit was confirmed following a narrow 1-0 loss to Paraguay in Group D on Thursday. The South Americans secured victory through an early strike from Matías Galarza, who found the net in just the second minute of the contest.
The defeat leaves Turkey rooted to the bottom of the group without a point, having previously lost 2-0 to Australia in their opening fixture. With only one match remaining, they can no longer progress to the knockout stage.
Haiti’s World Cup journey also came to an end after a 3-0 defeat to Brazil in Group C. Matheus Cunha scored twice, while Vinícius Júnior added another as the five-time world champions recorded their first win of the tournament.
The Caribbean side had earlier suffered a 1-0 defeat to Scotland and remain without a point after two matches, sealing their elimination from the competition.
Haiti’s appearance at the 2026 tournament marked only the second World Cup participation in the nation’s history and its first since 1974. Despite an impressive qualification campaign that secured their return to football’s biggest stage, their tournament run will conclude at the group phase.
Both Turkey and Haiti will play their final group matches for pride before bringing their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaigns to a close.
