Turkey and Haiti have been eliminated from the 2026 World Cup despite each having one group stage fixture left to play, leaving some fans puzzled.
Turkey's Elimination Explained
Turkey suffered a 2-0 loss to Australia in their opening match, with Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe scoring. They then lost 1-0 to Paraguay, despite Paraguay playing with 10 men for the entire second half after Miguel Almiron's red card. Matias Galarza's second-minute strike decided the game.
In Group D, the USA leads with six points from two wins. Australia and Paraguay each have three points, but Australia is ahead on goal difference. Turkey is bottom with zero points.
Although Turkey has one game left against the USA, they cannot advance. If teams are tied on points, head-to-head results determine the standings. Since both Australia and Paraguay beat Turkey, even a win over the USA would not be enough, as Turkey would lose the head-to-head tiebreaker against both.
Haiti's Similar Fate
Haiti is in the same situation in Group C, having lost to Scotland and Brazil. They cannot qualify for the knockout stage regardless of their final match result against Morocco, due to the head-to-head rule.
Player Reactions
Hakan Calhanoglu apologized after the Paraguay defeat, saying: "I apologize to all our people. If it’s not happening, it’s not happening. This tournament was an experience for everyone. We need to take pride in ourselves; getting here wasn’t easy - we’ve come from so far away. Football can be cruel sometimes, and we need to learn a lesson from this too. We lost the match with a single shot."
Arda Guler also expressed remorse: "We are ashamed. We apologise to all our people. We play in very big teams, and we need to show this on the field. We couldn't score in two matches. Throughout my national team career, I will do everything I can to make them forget this tournament. We apologise to our people."
