FIFA rule change explained as two teams knocked out of 2026 World Cup early

Last night saw the first two teams knocked out of the World Cup, with back-to-back losses meaning that neither Haiti or Türkiye would advance from their respective groups.

The Haitian side's second run at a World Cup ended in heartbreak after they were thumped 3-0 by Brazil last night, following an opening loss to Scotland in Boston.

Meanwhile, Türkiye (formerly Turkey) had its dreams crushed after losing to both Australia and Paraguay, despite the latter team being reduced to 10 men after Miguel Almirón was sent off.

Why can't Haiti and Türkiye qualify for the knockout stages?

In previous World Cups, two losses in the group stage wasn't necessarily the end of the road for a team, as finishing on three points has historically been enough to get some teams to the last 32.

Türkiye are out (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

This would mean that if Türkiye were able to beat the USA, ideally by three or more goals, while either Paraguay or Australia lost, they would finish in third place and have a shot at the knockout stages.

But not anymore, as a rule change from FIFA means that the final group rankings are decided by head-to-head records instead of group goal difference. As Türkiye has already lost against Australia and Paraguay, they are unable to finish above either team.

And with the US already leading the group on six points, there's only one place for Türkiye to go, home.

It's the same situation for Haiti, which, having already been beaten by Scotland, cannot finish above the Tartan Army should they win against Morocco.

The early exit will likely bring back memories of Türkiye's crash out at Euro 2020, after spending the run-up to the tournament being labelled 'dark horses' and 'ones to watch'.

As are Haiti (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

While Haiti - with an estimated total squad value of €55.90 million (£48.4 million) and the lowest-ranked team in the competition - were always considered unlikely to make it out of their group, viewers have overall praised the team in their first World Cup since 1976.

"They played better than a lot of people probably expected against Scotland but Brazil were too much for them. Respectable effort by Haiti," read one person's summary on Reddit.

"Haiti actually held up not too badly despite failing to score any goals. It was simply just a horrible draw for them with Brazil, Scotland and Morocco," added another.

The early exits are due to a change in how FIFA ranks group matches (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Haiti and Türkiye are unlikely to be the only teams heading home at the end of match day two, with the likes of Curaçao, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq and Croatia currently at risk of an early exit.