The Biggest Losers From the 2026 World Cup Group Stage

The 2026 World Cup’s knockout stage is right around the corner, but there are a few promising squads that will be heading home instead.

This year’s field is the largest in history, allowing far more smaller teams to earn a rare qualification. It also provided hope for several middling programs, who hoped a larger field would increase their odds of advancing. While some of those teams saw those hopes fulfilled, it came at a cost to a few group-stage favorites.

Below, we’ll share the three biggest losers from the group stage along with what went wrong for each.

Türkiye Eliminated After 2 Matches

Fans had high hopes for this Türkiye heading into June as they sat just outside the top 20 of FIFA’s world rankings. 

That hope was driven largely by qualifying, in which the team successfully navigated the UEFA playoffs. After losing 0-6 to Spain in their second match, Türkiye won their next three matches with a goal differential of +10. They followed that up with a 2-2 draw against Spain, which remains a favorite to win the 2026 World Cup.

While the team also won its final two international friendlies, that success came to an immediate halt once the tournament kicked off. They suffered shutout losses to Australia and Paraguay, despite being favored in both matches.

The team will have one more chance to win against the USMNT tonight, with the USMNT already having clinched the group. Unfortunately, they’ll be heading home after regardless of the result. 

Belgium Stumbles in Group G

Belgium’s squad entered the World Cup as ranked inside FIFA’s top ten. It led fans to hope their team would finally return to the success they found in 2018, when they finished third overall. While qualifying delivered two surprising draws, Belgium still won their group.

Expectations were set even higher after the team’s final international friendlies before the World Cup. They crushed the US, drew with Mexico, and defeated Croatia and Tunisia by a combined 7-0.

Belgium opened group play with a 1-1 draw against a good Egypt squad. While the result was disappointing, it didn’t douse hopes for Belgium to make a run. Unfortunately, that changed in the following match when Belgium finished with a 0-0 draw against Iran.

The team will have a chance to qualify for the knockout rounds if they win their final group match against New Zealand. While Belgium is favored, their final opponent has been exceeding expectations during the tournament.

Croatia Fails to Live Up to The Hype

Croatia’s team entered the World Cup as one of the trendier picks to make a run during the 2026 World Cup. While their qualifying group was fairly easy, the team dominated, going 7-0-1 while outscoring opponents 26-4. This led fans to believe the team’s success could carry into this summer, but that hasn’t been the case.

The team’s first half against England kept those hopes alive, but that changed in the second. England scored two goals to win 4-2 and dominated play. Croatia managed five shots on goal, but the defense allowed the Three Lions to take 11. 

Croatia won its second match against Panama, controlling the game for almost all 90 minutes. However, they finished with a 1-0 win, failing to settle growing concerns over their play.

Croatia still has a path to the knockout rounds, but will need to get past a surprisingly tough Ghana squad this weekend.