Wire flash
Sports2026 World Cup: 44 teams eliminated, only 4 remain
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Source reporting is collected, normalized, translated or condensed automatically when needed.
- Automatically published source-backed update
BBC Sport reports that 44 of the 48 nations competing in the 2026 World Cup have been eliminated as of June 24, 2026. The article provides a full list of eliminated teams, categorized by the stage of elimination. The first 16 teams to exit included 12 fourth-placed group finishers (Czech Republic, Qatar, Haiti, Turkey, Curacao, Tunisia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Panama) and four third-placed sides with the worst records (Iran, South Korea, Scotland, Uruguay). Sixteen teams were eliminated in the last 32, including South Africa, Japan, Germany, Netherlands, Ivory Coast, Sweden, Ecuador, DR Congo, Senegal, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Austria, Cape Verde, Australia, Algeria, and Ghana. Eight teams exited in the last 16: Canada, Paraguay, Brazil, Mexico, Portugal, United States, Egypt, and Colombia. The four most recent eliminations occurred in the quarter-finals: Morocco, Belgium, Norway, and Switzerland. The article is part of BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything series.
Source report
By Jonty Colman BBC Sport journalist Updated just now
Of the 48 nations competing at the 2026 World Cup, 44 have now been eliminated.
Group Stage Exits
Bottom of Their Groups (12 teams)
The first 16 teams to exit included 12 that finished bottom of their respective groups:
- Czech Republic
- Qatar
- Haiti
- Turkey
- Curacao
- Tunisia
- New Zealand
- Saudi Arabia
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Uzbekistan
- Panama
Worst Third-Placed Sides (4 teams)
Four third-placed sides with the worst records in the group stage were also knocked out:
- Iran
- South Korea
- Scotland
- Uruguay
Knockout Stage Exits
Last 32 (16 teams)
- South Africa
- Japan
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Ivory Coast
- Sweden
- Ecuador
- DR Congo
- Senegal
- Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Croatia
- Austria
- Cape Verde
- Australia
- Algeria
- Ghana
Last 16 (8 teams)
- Canada
- Paraguay
- Brazil
- Mexico
- Portugal
- United States
- Egypt
- Colombia
Quarter-Finals (4 teams)
The four latest teams to exit were eliminated following their quarter-final matches:
- Morocco
- Belgium
- Norway
- Switzerland
Image caption: Erling Haaland and his Norway teammates lost 2–1 to England in the quarter-finals.
Full List of Eliminated Teams
- Turkey
- Haiti
- New Zealand
- Tunisia
- Jordan
- Panama
- Qatar
- Czech Republic
- Curacao
- Saudi Arabia
- Iraq
- Uzbekistan
- Iran
- South Korea
- Scotland
- Uruguay
- South Africa
- Japan
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Ivory Coast
- Sweden
- Ecuador
- DR Congo
- Senegal
- Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Croatia
- Austria
- Cape Verde
- Australia
- Algeria
- Ghana
- Canada
- Paraguay
- Brazil
- Mexico
- Portugal
- United States
- Egypt
- Colombia
- Morocco
- Belgium
- Norway
- Switzerland
Get in Touch
Send us your questions via our contact form.
This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.
More Questions Answered...
- Who is the DR Congo superfan?
- How does qualification for the World Cup knockout stage work?
- Why do some World Cup shirts keep tearing during matches?
- Why Saudi Arabia and Iraq flags are not laid down at World Cup
Related Topics
- FIFA World Cup 2026
- Football
Source
BBC SportWestern
Part of this Story
2026 FIFA World Cup Elimination Updates and Progress Report