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World Cup 2026: The Roll Call of Eliminated Nations

The group stage is over, and for 17 teams, the dream is already dead.

Following the conclusion of the group phase, more than a third of the 48-nation field has been sent packing. Here's who's out and how they exited.

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The Bottom Dwellers (12 Teams)

A total of 12 teams finished dead last in their groups, packing their bags without a single win to show for it:

Czech Republic 🇨🇿
Qatar 🇶🇦 (the 2022 hosts, out early)
Haiti 🇭🇹
Turkey 🇹🇷
Curaçao 🇨🇼
Tunisia 🇹🇳
New Zealand 🇳🇿
Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦
Iraq 🇮🇶
Jordan 🇯🇴
Uzbekistan 🇺🇿
Panama 🇵🇦

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The Unluckiest Third-Place Teams (4 Teams)

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With only the best third-place finishers advancing, these four sides narrowly missed out on the last 32:

Iran 🇮🇷
South Korea 🇰🇷
Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Uruguay 🇺🇾 (a major upset, as the two-time champions crash out early)

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The Latest Casualty

South Africa 🇿🇦 became the 17th team eliminated after falling to Canada in the last 32.

The bottom line: For these 17 nations, the World Cup is over. For the 31 still standing, the knockout pressure has only just begun.

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Cape Verde's Dream Debut: Tiny Island Nation Reaches World Cup Knockouts

The third-smallest nation ever to play in the World Cup has done the unthinkable—advancing to the knockout stages in their very first appearance.

Cape Verde secured their historic place in the last 32 after a tense 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia in Houston on Friday night. They finished as runners-up in Group H, behind Spain, who beat Uruguay 1-0 in Guadalajara.

A Wait-and-Celebrate Moment

The Cape Verdean players stayed on the pitch after their own match, anxiously waiting for the final whistle in the Spain-Uruguay game. When it came, the celebration erupted—players hugging coach Bubista and dancing with fans who had made the journey to Texas.

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The Dream Becomes Reality

Midfielder Deroy Duarte captured the moment perfectly: "It's all as if it's a dream. When I was a little boy I dreamed of playing in the World Cup... it's unthinkable what we've done."

The achievement is even more remarkable given Cape Verde drew all three of their group matches. Their progress was sealed thanks to Spain, who shut down Uruguay—a task made easier when Uruguay's Agustín Canobbio was sent off in stoppage time for an ugly foul.

What's Next?

A monumental challenge awaits: Cape Verde will face defending champions Argentina on July 3 in Miami. The fairytale continues, but the hardest test is yet to come.

Meanwhile, in Group I...

France made a statement of their own, thrashing Norway 4-1 to top their group with a perfect record. Ousmane Dembélé scored a hat-trick, taking his tournament tally to four—level with captain Kylian Mbappé.

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France will face Sweden in the last 32.
Norway will take on Côte d'Ivoire in Dallas on June 30.

US and Iran Trade Fire, Accuse Each Other of Breaking Ceasefire

Just weeks after agreeing to a truce, the US and Iran have exchanged new military strikes, each blaming the other for shattering the fragile peace.

The latest round of violence began with a drone attack on a Panama-flagged tanker in the crucial Strait of Hormuz. The US quickly responded with fighter jet strikes on 10 Iranian military targets, including air defense sites and drone storage facilities. Iran then retaliated by launching missiles and drones at what it claims are US infrastructure sites in Kuwait and Bahrain.

Who Hit What?

The US: Conducted strikes on multiple locations in and near the Strait of Hormuz, targeting military equipment, communication systems, and drone facilities. US Central Command (Centcom) called it a direct response to "continued aggression" against commercial shipping.
Iran: The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched ballistic missiles and drones at eight key pieces of US infrastructure at bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, claiming to have "destroying them." A US official, however, told Reuters there were no US casualties or major damage to US facilities.

Both Kuwait and Bahrain confirmed their air defense systems were activated to counter the attacks.

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The Ceasefire That Wasn't

The US and Iran had agreed to a 14-point ceasefire on June 17, which included a call for Iran to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days. Now, both sides are pointing fingers:

US: Says Iran violated the truce when its forces launched the drone that hit the MT Kiku tanker.
Iran: Accuses the US of attacking its coastal posts under a "pretext," warning that such actions "will lead to a complete halt to the process" and show that the US "does not place the slightest value" on its commitments.

Trump's Warning

President Trump weighed in on Truth Social, saying it was "very possible" that Tehran would "never learn." He added a stark warning: "There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable... If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!"

The Strategic Waterway at the Center of the Storm

The Strait of Hormuz is a vital artery for global oil and gas shipments. Tehran had effectively closed it after US-Israeli attacks in February, causing a spike in global energy prices. While recent negotiations suggested progress—with Iran reportedly dropping plans to charge tolls—the situation remains volatile.

Iran's chief negotiator has now made it clear: "Everyone should know that the administration of the Strait of Hormuz will never go back to the way it was before the war."