Haiti, Turkey and Tunisia eliminated from World Cup 2026 after two games under new FIFA rule

Haiti, Turkey and Tunisia have become the first three nations eliminated from World Cup 2026, each sent home after back-to-back defeats in the group stage — with a newly introduced FIFA tiebreaker rule sealing their fates before their final matches are even played.

The change in question replaces goal difference as the primary method for separating teams level on points. Under the new system, head-to-head points between tied teams are considered first. For all three eliminated sides, that distinction proved decisive.

Haiti, making their first World Cup appearance since 1974, opened Group C with a 1-0 loss to Scotland before being beaten 3-0 by Brazil. Sitting bottom on zero points, they cannot mathematically leapfrog Scotland — who have three points — regardless of their final result, because their head-to-head record against the Scots is already negative. Even a heavy win over Morocco in their last game cannot lift them above third place in the group.

Turkey’s exit followed a similar path in Group D. Despite arriving with considerable expectations, they fell 2-0 to Australia and then suffered a 1-0 defeat to Paraguay. With both opponents sitting on three points and the United States already through on six, Turkey’s negative head-to-head record against both teams means they are locked into fourth place with one game remaining.

Tunisia were confirmed as the third elimination in the early hours of Sunday. A 5-1 opening defeat to Sweden was compounded by a 4-0 loss to Japan. Because they cannot finish above Sweden on head-to-head points, their tournament is over.

Elsewhere in the competition, Mexico, Germany and the United States have already secured their places in the knockout rounds after winning their opening two group games, providing a sharp contrast to the sides already heading home.