ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Senegal boosted their chances of reaching the knockout stage of the World Cup with a 5-0 victory against 10-man Iraq.

The Lions of Teranga finished third in Group I with three points to climb to fifth among third-placed teams, but they will still need results elsewhere to go their way to secure a place in the last 32.

Senegal played a near-perfect game in Toronto as they looked to bounce back from defeats by France and Norway, and the result pushed Scotland down to ninth in the table of third-placed sides, with eight to advance to the next round.

Fast-starting Senegal opened the scoring after only four minutes. Abdoulaye Seck’s header from a corner took a decisive deflection off Sunderland midfielder Habib Diarra on its way past Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil.

Iraq’s problems were compounded nine minutes later when referee Anthony Taylor sent off defender Rebin Sulaka for pulling down Sadio Mane at the edge of the penalty area, deeming it a denial of a goalscoring opportunity after a video assistant referee review.

Mane tested Basil from the resulting free-kick, but Pape Thiaw’s side, who needed goals to improve their goal difference and thereby their chances of progressing to the next stage, failed to register another shot on target in the first half.

But they capitalised on former Manchester United midfielder Zidane Iqbal giving away possession at the edge of the box as Lamine Camara cut the ball back for Ismaila Sarr to apply a simple finish to make it 2-0 in the 56th minute.

Their lead was extended three minutes later as Pape Gueye curled a left-foot strike into the top corner – his first involvement after coming on moments earlier.

Villarreal defensive midfielder Gueye added his second goal with another thunderous effort in the 71st minute before fellow substitute Iliman Ndiaye sealed the 5-0 win, which they would hope will be enough to send them through to the knockout stage.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Australia booked their place in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while co-hosts the United States finished top of Group D despite suffering a dramatic late defeat to Turkey in a thrilling final round of group matches.

The final standings saw the USA finish first in the group, Australia secure automatic qualification in second place, and Paraguay remain strongly positioned to progress as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.

At San Francisco, Australia played out a tense goalless draw against Paraguay, a result that ultimately worked in favour of both sides.

The Socceroos entered the match knowing avoiding defeat would likely be enough to secure progression, and they successfully managed the contest to finish on four points. Their superior goal difference over Paraguay earned them second place and direct qualification for the Round of 32.

Australia’s players celebrated wildly at full-time after confirming their return to the knockout rounds, where they will face the runners-up from Group G.

Paraguay, meanwhile, adopted a cautious approach and focused on defensive discipline. They struggled to create opportunities in the opening stages and did not register an attempt until the second half after switching to a back-three system.

Their best opportunity arrived late on when substitute Mauricio came close to snatching a winner that would have dramatically altered the qualification picture and left Australia in danger of elimination.

Despite settling for a draw, Paraguay remain in a strong position in the third-place standings and look well placed to advance.

Meanwhile, Group D leaders USA ended their group campaign with their first defeat of the tournament after Turkey claimed a dramatic 3-2 victory at SoFi Stadium.

Although qualification had already been secured for Mauricio Pochettino’s side before kick-off, the Americans looked set to maintain their unbeaten record after Auston Trusty opened the scoring from a corner inside three minutes.

Turkey, already eliminated after consecutive defeats to Australia and Paraguay, responded impressively and finally found the attacking edge that had deserted them earlier in the tournament.

Arda Guler levelled after 10 minutes before Baris Yilmaz completed the turnaround midway through the first half.

USA responded quickly after the restart as Sebastian Berhalter struck from the edge of the box to restore parity.

The second half also saw the return of captain Christian Pulisic from a calf injury, and the forward came close to making an instant impact when he struck the post.

However, Turkey had the final word.

Deep into stoppage time, substitute Kaan Ayhan bundled home from close range in the 98th minute to secure a memorable 3-2 victory and give Turkey a positive ending to their World Cup campaign despite their elimination.

The defeat did little damage to the USA, who still advanced as Group D winners and will now face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Round of 32.

Final Group D standings saw USA finish first, Australia qualify automatically in second, while Paraguay remained hopeful of joining them in the knockout stage.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

At least 10 countries have officially been eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the group stage continues to produce dramatic results ahead of the Round of 32.

Curacao became the latest nation to exit the tournament after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Ivory Coast, ending the Caribbean side’s historic debut World Cup campaign.

The Elephants secured victory thanks to a brace from Nicolas Pépé, a result that sealed their place in the knockout stage while simultaneously confirming Curacao’s elimination.

Several other teams have also seen their World Cup dreams come to an end following disappointing performances in the group stage.

In the North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF) region, Panama and Haiti have already been knocked out alongside Curacao after failing to accumulate enough points to progress.

Europe has also witnessed a number of early exits, with Scotland, Turkey and the Czech Republic all eliminated after falling short in their respective groups.

From the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Qatar, Uzbekistan and Jordan have been confirmed as eliminated, bringing an end to their participation in the global tournament.

Tunisia remains the only African country officially out of the competition so far, while several other African representatives are still battling for places in the knockout rounds.

Countries Eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Curacao
Panama
Haiti
Scotland
Turkey
Czech Republic
Qatar
Uzbekistan
Jordan
Tunisia
With the group stage nearing its conclusion, six more teams are expected to be eliminated before the Round of 32 lineup is finalized, as countries continue to fight for the remaining qualification spots.