World Cup 2026 Group Stage Complete: Scotland to Uzbekistan All Out
The group stage is over; 12 teams came out with fourth place, while another 4 teams finished third but failed to make it to the 'Best Moods' ranking. Teams like Iran, South Korea, Scotland and Uruguay experienced sweet eliminations.
The World Cup 2026 group stage is officially over. A total of 16 teams were eliminated in the first stage of the tournament, 12 of which finished their group in fourth place, while others finished third but failed to make the 'best third'.
Some of the most dramatic eliminations saw teams finishing third in their group and failing to go further — Iran, South Korea, Scotland and Uruguay being prime examples. Rounding out the "best third" list are DR Congo, Sweden, Ghana, Ecuador, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Algeria, Paraguay and Senegal.
Here is the full 16 team list (by group):
- Group A: South Korea (3rd), Czech Republic (4th)
- Group B: Qatar (4th)
- Group C: Scotland (3rd), Haiti (4th)
- Group D: Turkey (4th)
- Group E: Curacao (4th)
- Group F: Tunisia (4th)
- Group G: Iran (3rd), New Zealand (4th)
- Group H: Uruguay (3rd), Saudi Arabia (4th)
- Group I: Iraq (4th)
- Group J: Jordan (4th)
- Group K: Uzbekistan (4th)
- Group L: Panama (4th)
With this result, the ten teams competing for the 32 spots did not make any noise in the subsequent rounds. The teams that will continue to compete in the next round are determined based on the 'best third' ranking and include DR Congo, Sweden, Ghana, Ecuador, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Algeria, Paraguay, Senegal.
These were the main emotions, hopes and disappointments that appeared in the group stage; Currently, recaps and upcoming matches are going to be the highlight for fans looking forward to the next rounds of the tournament.