The FIFA World Cup 2026 continues to serve the unexpected. Each time you think you have figured out this tournament, some underdogs tear up the page and leave a giant sitting in the group stage with excuses. Brazil were eliminated by Norway, Türkiye were eliminated in the group phase, and suddenly the biggest World Cup favourites list from the supposed experts turned into a farce.

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Now, the underdog story is the World Cup story. Every tournament, some star-studded squads come in and act as though the trophy is theirs, then get sent home early by a team nobody scouted. The 2026 edition of the World Cup has been brutal for the old guards. Rigid tactics, missed chances, and defences falling apart at the worst moment, have sent six World Cup teams out of contention already.

6 Teams That Have Massively Disappointed During the 2026 FIFA World Cup

These teams didn’t live up to the expectations of everyone. Perhaps, the lights were probably too bright and they will be following the rest of the competition from home like most of us!

1. Germany

Germany’s World Cup hopes came to an end once more on penalties. Their round of 32 exit against Paraguay means the Machines record another early World Cup exit, following their poor run in 2018 and 2022.

And they did it with no clean sheets all the way this time. National team coach, Julian Nagelsmann resigned four days later and explained that Germany, ’’Are no longer a first-class team.” Looks like a boxer who used to knock people out just forgot how to throw a punch.

2. Türkiye

Everyone loved Türkiye coming in. Young legs, clean football. Then they went out before the end of Matchday 3. They fired off 62 shots in their first two group stage games against Australia and Paraguay and scored zero goals. Kenan Yıldız alone failed to convert 14 attempts. The wastefulness was evident even in a late victory over a rotated US Men&039;s National Team (USMNT) side, as Türkiye continued to squander chances.

3. Netherlands

The Dutch cruised through their World Cup group without dropping a point, finishing in front of Japan and Sweden. Then Morocco came along in the round of 32. Cody Gakpo was able to force extra time after an early Morocco lead, but the result of the shootout was a disaster: Quinten Timber, Justin Kluivert and Crysencio Summerville all missed, and it finished 3-2. They had only a 30 per cent possession in 120 minutes with a midfield that outworked them. A harsh close for a good run.

4. Brazil

Nothing rattled people more than Brazil crashing out in the round of 16. They were beaten by Norway’s Erling Haaland in the 79th and 90th minutes after Bruno Guimarães blew a penalty earlier. Neymar came off the bench and scored deep in stoppage time but it made no difference. This is the first time the country is exiting from this stage since 1990.

The show seemed disjointed. Head Coach Carlo Ancelotti is positive though. To him, ’’A defeat is the beginning of a new adventure.’’

5. Croatia

The golden generation of Croatia left in tears. They took the lead against Portugal in the first half with a goal by Ivan Perišić, then Cristiano Ronaldo levelled before Gonçalo Ramos found the back of the net in the fourth minute of stoppage. A late Croatian equaliser got wiped out by VAR for offside. Luka Modrić, 40, made his final appearance and left in tears as the backbone of this team, that lasted 10 years, was finally exhausted.

6. Senegal

Perhaps most of all, the one that hurts the most. Goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaïla Sarr put Senegal ahead 2-0 in Seattle before going downhill in the remaining five minutes with Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans levelling the score. Extra-time saw the African giant concede a penalty, which Lamine Camara gave away.

Then Tielemans scored for Belgium to make it 3-2. Coach Pape Thiaw could only watch a golden quarter final shot slip past, and it must have been painful because they were arguably the better team in the contest.

Historical context: How 2026 mirrors the cup upsets of all time

If you are familiar with football history, you will not be surprised at any World Cup upset. The 10 biggest FIFA shocks all follow the same script: a favourite becomes complacent, an underdog doesn’t care, chaos ensues.

It was in 1950, when a part time team of the United States beat England 1-0, with Joe Gaetjens heading the first goal, one of the most shocking results in the history of the sport. In 1966, Pak Doo-ik and North Korea struck out Italy in the Ayresome Park stadium in Middlesbrough, a day remembered to this day in North Korean football history.

Algeria had their own miracle in 1982, defeating the reigning European champions West Germany in its first World Cup match in the first round of group C. Cameroon were the surprise team in 1990 when they defeated Diego Maradona and Argentina, the reigning world champions, with 9 men on the pitch.

France’s 2002 nightmare is the gold standard though. The defending champions and reigning European champions fell to Senegal, a team appearing in their first World Cup. Papa Bouba Diop scored the opening goal, El Hadji Diouf ran the show, Zinedine Zidane watched with injury from the sideline. It was a wild night in South Korea during the same competition, as Ahn Jung-hwan’s golden goal sent Italy out of the tournament.

In 2010, European champions Spain lost their first match to Switzerland. Costa Rica’s 2014 run beat every bit of the world rankings, taking down Uruguay, Italy, and grinding out a goalless 0-0 draw against England to top the group.

Then there’s Saudi Arabia’s triumph over Argentina in 2022, Lionel Messi scored an early penalty but Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari flipped the match and snapped Argentina’s 36-match unbeaten run in Qatar. Even recently Cape Verde has shown that grit, grinding out draws against bigger sides. Their goalkeeper Vozinha standing tall, and proof that the underdogs write their own chapters in World Cup history too.

Final thoughts

The World Cup in 2026 has sent out a red flag to all large federations of Europe and South America. Germany’s fall, as well as Senegal’s and Brazil’s late loss deepens the plot, and demonstrates that tactical football is changing quicker than reputations. The days of the star power winning everything are behind us. As the tournament rolls into the final, this one will be remembered for the giants who didn’t make it.

The writer is a sports analyst.