Haiti suffer earliest exit of 2026 World Cup

Haiti have become the first team to be eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup after suffering a 3-0 defeat to Brazil on Saturday (June 20), bringing an early end to their campaign in the group stage.

The Caribbean nation had already started the tournament with a narrow 1-0 loss to Scotland. Their second consecutive defeat leaves them without a point from two matches, mathematically ending their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.

In Group C, Brazil and Morocco currently occupy the top two positions with four points each, while Scotland sit third with three points. Even if Haiti win their final group match, they can only finish with a maximum of three points, which is no longer enough to secure a place among the group’s top three teams.

The 2026 World Cup features a record 48 teams for the first time. The top two teams from each of the 12 groups, along with the eight best third-placed teams, advance to the knockout stage.

Despite the expanded format offering more qualification opportunities, Haiti failed to capitalize, becoming the first nation officially eliminated from the tournament with one group match still remaining.