The round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup has now reached its end. A total of 14 countries have been confirmed eliminated after failing to reach the round of 16 in a series of matches full of drama and surprises.
Australia became the latest team forced to head home after suffering a bitter loss in a penalty shootout drama against Egypt. The fierce match ended in a 1-1 draw through extra time. Misses by Harry Souttar and Lucas Herrington in executing penalties made the difference, while Egypt performed flawlessly by scoring four goals from the spot.
This result adds Australia to a long list of eliminated teams, joining those knocked out by the penalty shootout lottery. Previously, Germany and the Netherlands, who were highly favored as strong trophy contenders, were also eliminated in similar scenarios. The Netherlands fell to Morocco, while Germany had to concede victory to Paraguay in a dramatic penalty shootout.
Besides the giant teams, several nations tipped as dark horses such as Croatia, Senegal, and Japan also failed to continue their run in this tournament. The fierce competition in the round of 32 truly left only the teams with the toughest mentality remaining.
Here is the full list of 14 countries confirmed eliminated in the round of 32: South Africa, Japan, Germany, Netherlands, Ivory Coast, Sweden, Ecuador, DR Congo, Senegal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Croatia, Algeria, and Australia.
Currently, world attention is focused on the final two matches of the round of 32—Argentina versus Cape Verde and Colombia against Ghana—which will decide the final two tickets to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup.
