That’s why Turkey is out
Fifa rule changes have already spelled doom for three teams
June 22, 2026 – 1:58 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The first teams at the World Cup can already book their return flights. The reason for this is a new regulation.
For the first time we are at the current Football World Cup 48 nations represented in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Despite the large number of teams taking part, there are teams that are eliminated after just two match days. The reason for this is a change in FIFA rules.
- In the round of 16: That would be Germany’s current opponent
- World Cup 2026: The news blog with all current developments
Since this one World Cup If there is a tie on points in the group phase, it is no longer the better goal difference that counts, but rather the direct comparison. And that means that Haiti (Group C), Turkey (Group D) and Tunisia (Group F) have already been eliminated.
Türkiye has no chance of reaching the knockout phase
What the new regulation means in concrete terms becomes clear with an example. The USA leads the Turkey group (6 points), followed by Australia and Paraguay (3 points each). The Turks still have no points in their account after two match days. With the old rule, which also applies to the WM was still used in Qatar 2022, Turkey would have the opportunity to finish third in the group with a win against the USA and thus maintain its chance of reaching the round of 16.
However, this is not possible at the tournament in Central America. Turkey lost its game against Australia (0:2) and also that against Paraguay (0:1), which is why the direct comparisons with the competition are lost in any case. Vincenzo Montella’s team is therefore certain to be eliminated.
Background to the rule change: Whoever beats their direct competitor should also be ahead of them if there is a tie on points at the end of the group phase. According to FIFA, this approach is fairer than comparing the goal difference. Big wins against outsiders are not included in the weighting.
The procedure is not new to European football fans; after all, UEFA has been applying the rules at European championships for a long time
