Turkiye knocked out of World Cup 2026 after 1-0 defeat to 10-man Paraguay
Key takeaways
- With two defeats in two group games, Turkiye have been knocked out of the World Cup.
- The win by the South Americans means the US were confirmed as Group D winners after their earlier 2-0 victory over Australia in Seattle.
- Turkiye’s coach, Vincenzo Montella, said his players fought to stay in the tournament and it was an outcome everyone had to accept.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
With two defeats in two group games, Turkiye have been knocked out of the World Cup. Matias Galarza’s early goal handed Paraguay a 1-0 win over the Turks.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Paraguay's Matias Galarza celebrates scoring what would become the fastest goal of the tournament so far and knock Turkiye out of the 2026 World Cup, at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, California, on June 19, 2026 [Carlos Barria/Reuters]By Reuters Published On 20 Jun 202620 Jun 2026Ten-man Paraguay eliminated Turkiye from the 2026 World Cup with a courageous defensive effort to seal a dramatic 1-0 win after suffering a dismissal before half-time, with the fastest goal of the tournament proving the difference.
Fired up after their humiliating 4-1 opening match defeat by the United States, Paraguay went ahead when Matias Galarza wound up from 25 metres (27 yards) and fired a low rocket home after 64 seconds on Friday evening to eclipse Ismael Saibari’s 71-second strike in Morocco’s 1-0 win over Scotland hours before.