Türkiye are out of the 2026 World Cup! A 1-0 defeat by Paraguay on Friday ended their campaign with a group game to spare. The Turkey-Paraguay tie in Santa Clara turned on Matias Galarza's strike after 64 seconds.
Türkiye are out of the 2026 World Cup! A 1-0 defeat by Paraguay on Friday ended their campaign with a group game to spare. The Turkey-Paraguay tie in Santa Clara turned on Matias Galarza's strike after 64 seconds.
Paraguay led almost from the whistle. Julio Enciso seized on a turnover and slipped in Matias Galarza, who took a touch and swept a low 20-yard shot past Ugurcan Cakir after 64 seconds. Mert Muldur came closest for Türkiye, heading Hakan Calhanoglu's cross against the woodwork, while Arda Guler scuffed a clear chance wide four minutes from time with only the goalkeeper to beat. Paraguay played the entire second half a man down yet held firm for a first win of the finals.
Türkiye were widely fancied to push the United States for top spot in Group D. Instead they leave the tournament after two games, both lost without scoring.
The numbers tell the story of the exit. Türkiye had 32 attempts against Paraguay, but none found the net, mirroring their opening 2-0 defeat by Australia, in which they fired 30 shots. The combined 62 efforts are the most without a goal across any two-match span in World Cup data collected since 1966.
It is a heavy fall for a side built around Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz that reached the Euro 2024 quarter-finals. This was Türkiye's first World Cup appearance in 24 years, since the run to the 2002 semi-finals.
Vincenzo Montella refused to fault his players despite the early exit. "We create the opportunities, but somehow the ball doesn't go in," the Italian said. "It's really shocking to say goodbye to the World Cup after only two matches."
Montella pointed to the long gap between major tournaments. "Perhaps, even unconsciously, the pressure of playing in a major tournament after such a long absence affected us," he said. "We need to develop the habit of participating in major tournaments."
Arda Guler apologised to supporters. "We tried very hard but it didn't work. But we should have scored some goals," the 21-year-old said. "We should have won these games ... Everybody's sad, everybody's crying."
Gustavo Alfaro framed the win as a matter of character rather than tactics. "It's nothing about tactics or strategy here. This victory, this result is to the credit of the players," he said. Galarza, recalled after sitting out the opener, added: "We showed our quality fighting spirits even with one player down."
Türkiye can no longer avoid finishing bottom of Group D. Paraguay sit third, level on points with Australia but behind on goal difference, having recovered from a 4-1 thrashing by the United States. The result also sealed first place for the U.S., who beat Australia 2-0 earlier on Friday.
Almiron's dismissal added to the drama. The winger was sent off in first-half stoppage time after covering his mouth during a verbal exchange with Muldur, with the video assistant referee ruling it a breach of a new FIFA rule banning the practice. It did not change the outcome.
Türkiye close their campaign against the United States in Los Angeles on 25 June, with nothing left to play for. Paraguay return to the San Francisco Bay Area on 25 June to face Australia, knowing a strong result keeps them in the round-of-32 hunt.
