Best teams out of the World Cup: How Iran, Uruguay, Scotland, South Korea missed 2026 knockout bracket
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Best teams out of the World Cup: How Iran, Uruguay, Scotland, South Korea missed 2026 knockout bracket originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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The dust has settled on the opening round of action at the 2026 World Cup. Things feel a bit slimmer now, with 16 sides bowing out of the tournament.
Many of those who exited stage left on the famous competition were expected to fall away early. As inspiring as the qualification for the tournament was for nations like Uzbekistan and Curacao, the odds appeared stacked against them to earn entry into the latter stages of the competition.
For some teams, however, "getting grouped" proved catastrophic. Cape Verde, DR Congo and Bosnia & Herzegovina's heroics were bound to leave some titans below the cut line. Some of those who suffered the ignominious fate carried expectations of potentially getting into the quarters or semifinals...at least until the soccer started.
With that, here's a look at the most shocking absences from the Round of 32 at this year's World Cup.
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Best teams out of the World Cup
Iran
Team Melli was dealt a cruel hand throughout the tournament, facing relocation, visa issues and a daunting slate of group stage matchups during the 2026 World Cup.
Despite its toils, Iran showed a good account of itself, avoiding defeat in each of its three fixtures. With a neutral goal difference, the Iranians seemed a good bet to go through — even if they were robbed of a game-winning goal vs. Egypt due to an unfortunate offside call.
Algeria went up 3-2 in the final minute of its contest against Austria, all but confirming that Iran would go through at the expense of Austria. But with the game's last action, Sasa Kalajdzic headed the ball in from short-range, spoiling Iran's hopes of making the knockout rounds.
There's not much to say about Iran's roster that hasn't been said before. Team Melli was one of the tournament's most entertaining outfits, playing swash-buckling soccer in tremendously trying circumstances. The roster is aging, with just five players under the age of 25 earning a spot on the squad. With the Persian Gulf Pro League on hiatus due to the U.S. and Israel's war on Iran, it's unclear how the country's footballing infrastructure will look in the future. Nevertheless, the nation has long been able to produce talent. Barring something unforeseen, that should continue to be the case in the future.
Uruguay
Marcelo Bielsa's side (for now) was projected to finish at or near the top of Group H. Such is life when you have headliners like Federico Valverde, Darwin Nunez and Ronald Araujo.
Many doubted the quality of Cape Verde, believing the Blue Sharks to be minnows at the international level. That wasn't quite the case, in retrospect. Cape Verde put itself in position to qualify with back-to-back-to-back draws, dazzling with its attacking flair.
Uruguay, by comparison, was turgid. Bielsa's high-octane style of playing failed to strike much fear in opposition sides. Lackluster results against Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde left La Celeste needing a win over group-winners Spain — and a lesser result in Cape Verde's tilt with Saudi Arabia — to secure a place in the knockout stages.
That didn't happen. Uruguay huffed and puffed, attempting to blight the Spaniards' influence. But an Alex Baena strike before halftime left the two-time World Cup winners on the outside looking in for the second time in as many tournaments.
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Scotland
The Tartan Army had high hopes for the 2026 World Cup, the fourth in its history. Brazil and Morocco figured to be daunting foes. But if the Scots could down Haiti and pick up a shock result against one of their other two foes, perhaps their supporters could dream.
Scotland got the result many expected when it took on Haiti, besting Les Grenadiers 1-0. The Scots weren't able to pick up a point against Selecao or the Atlas Lions. For a moment, there was the hope — however fleeting — that Scotland could secure a place as a third-place qualifier.
But a negative goal difference proved too much for the Scots to overcome. Steve Clarke stepped down as Scotland manager upon confirmation of the side's exit in the tournament. The future looks bright in some areas — Ben Gannon-Doak and Billy Gilmour should anchor Scotland's side for years to come. Still, Andy Robertson, John McGinn and Scott McTominay are all getting older. The Scots will need some reinforcements in the coming few years.
MORE: Teams qualified for the World Cup's Round of 32
South Korea
South Korea was expected to compete for the crown in Group A, appearing — on paper — to have more talent than the likes of Mexico, South Africa and Czechia.
That very well could still be true. Heung-min Son, Kang-in Lee and Min-jae Kim are some of the world's best players in their respective positions. You'd be hard-pressed to say the same about those who pockmark the Mexican, South African and Czech rosters.
And yet, the results failed to give an adequate impression of South Korea's gifts. The South Koreans started their tournament with a flourish, battling back from one goal down to vanquish Czechia as Lee shined. A 1-0 defeat to Mexico was fairly evenly matched, with a goal-keeping error bringing about the sordid result.
Perhaps a matchup with Bafana Bafana, who looked hopeless in its first match against Mexico, would be the platform Son and Co. needed to punch their ticket to the Round of 32.
Thapelo Maseko had other plans, sending Johannesburg into a frenzy with a second-half goal. South Korea looked toothless with the ball in its grasp, failing to craft high-quality chances. All that amounted to a stunning defeat that, when coupled with less-than-ideal results in other fixtures, left South Korea under the cut line.
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