The 2026 World Cup presents competing nations with a far greater chance of progressing to the knockout phase than most previous tournaments. FIFA expanded the field from 32 teams to 48, adding an additional knockout round. Under that format, all but 16 nations will continue their campaigns beyond the group stage.
Not every side benefits from the larger bracket. Early elimination remains a reality for teams that fall short in the opening phase, and further heartbreak awaits for those who stumble once the knockouts begin, including sides expected to go deep in the tournament.
Teams Eliminated from World Cup 2026
The expanded format means few teams will be confirmed eliminated before the final round of group matches. Eight of the best third place sides will advance to the knockouts alongside the top two from each group, and those third place standings will not become clear until all games on matchday three have been completed.
As of June 23, however, four teams are definitely not going through to the next round.
- Haiti (Group C)
Haiti, Turkey, and Tunisia became the first three teams eliminated from the 2026 World Cup. Their early exits are partly tied to a new rule on group stage tiebreakers: teams level on points are now ranked by their record against one another.
Haiti's path out of Group C illustrates how that rule works in practice. Haiti lost 1-0 to Scotland on the opening matchday and then 3-0 to Brazil, meaning the best Haiti can manage is to finish the group stage on three points. Even if Haiti reaches three points, the side cannot overtake Brazil or Morocco in Group C. Haiti's best remaining scenario is to finish level with Scotland on three points, and in that case Scotland would finish above Haiti because Scotland won the head to head meeting.
World Cup 2026 Group Stage Tiebreaker Rules
FIFA confirmed its group stage tie breaking criteria for this World Cup back in April. If two or more teams are level on points after the group games have been completed, those criteria are applied to determine the final standings.
If the initial tie breaking steps are not enough to split the teams, additional criteria follow. If teams are still deadlocked after those steps, the nation that places highest in the most recent FIFA rankings will finish higher in the standings.
Do Third Place Teams Advance at World Cup 2026?
In the expanded tournament, the eight best teams that finish third in their group will also progress to the Round of 32. Those third place teams are ranked by a separate set of criteria to determine which eight advance.
How Many Teams Play in the World Cup?
From 1998 through the most recent 32 team editions, 32 nations qualified for the World Cup. Starting in 2026, the field expanded to 48 teams.
That expansion adds four groups in the opening phase of the competition, plus an extra stage in the knockouts: the Round of 32. The winning team at the tournament will play eight games in total.
