Teams out of World Cup 2022: Final list of nations eliminated from FIFA Qatar 2022

Simon Borg

Teams out of World Cup 2022: Final list of nations eliminated from FIFA Qatar 2022 image

The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicked off with 32 teams competing to reach the final on Sunday, December 18. Only one was left standing as Argentina won a memorable final over France, decided on penalties.

Over the course of the four weeks of the competition, all the other nations had to pack up and head home from Qatar after falling short of fulfilling their ultimate dream. Croatia and Morocco stuck around to play the third-place match which saw Croatia win a place on the podium.

The competition started with a group stage which cut the field in half, with only 16 teams making it to the knockout rounds (check out the complete World Cup schedule here).

That was followed by the knockout rounds, a series of single-elimination matches in which a winner needed to be determined on the day. If teams were tied at the end of 90 minutes, then 30 minutes of extra time were played, and if the deadlock persisted, a penalty shootout determined the winner.

With so many nations involved, The Sporting News tracked the teams as they were eliminated throughout the tournament in Qatar.

MORE: Which teams qualified to play in the 2022 FIFA World Cup?

Teams out of the World Cup: Every nation eliminated

The table below was updated throughout the 2022 tournament as teams fell by the wayside. The most recent team eliminated is at the top.

Host nation Qatar were the first team ousted, and they were followed by Canada as both failed to pick up a single point in their first two matches of the group stage. A total of 16 teams were eliminated after the group stage, and another eight were knocked out in the Round of 16.

The group stage closed on Friday, Dec. 2, and the Round of 16 was completed on Dec. 6, with the quarterfinals wrapping up in two days on Dec. 9-10. The semis were also played over two days on Dec. 13-14. The third-place match (Dec. 17) preceded the final on Dec. 18.

Nation FIFA
Ranking
Date
Eliminated
Stage
Eliminated
How
Eliminated
France 4 Dec. 18 Final Loss vs. Argentina (penalties)
Morocco 22 Dec. 14 Semifinals Loss vs. France
Croatia 12 Dec. 13 Semifinals Loss vs. Argentina
England 5 Dec. 10 Quarterfinals Loss vs. France
Portugal 9 Dec. 10 Quarterfinals Loss vs. Morocco
Netherlands 8 Dec. 9 Quarterfinals Loss vs. Argentina (penalties)
Brazil 1 Dec. 9 Quarterfinals Loss vs. Croatia (penalties)
Switzerland 15 Dec. 6 Rd of 16 Loss vs. Portugal
Spain 7 Dec. 6 Rd of 16 Loss vs. Morocco (penalties)
South Korea 28 Dec. 5 Rd of 16 Loss vs. Brazil
Japan 24 Dec. 5 Rd of 16 Loss vs. Croatia (penalties)
Senegal 18 Dec. 4 Rd of 16 Loss vs. England
Poland 26 Dec. 4 Rd of 16 Loss vs. France
Australia 38 Dec. 3 Rd of 16 Loss vs. Argentina
USA 16 Dec. 3 Rd of 16 Loss vs. Netherlands
Serbia 21 Dec. 2 Groups Loss vs. Switzerland
Cameroon 43 Dec. 2 Groups Switzerland win vs. Serbia
Uruguay 14 Dec. 2 Groups Goals scored tiebreaker
Ghana 61 Dec. 2 Groups Loss vs. Uruguay
Germany 11 Dec. 1 Groups Goal difference tiebreaker
Costa Rica 31 Dec. 1 Groups Loss vs. Germany
Belgium 2 Dec. 1 Groups Draw vs. Croatia
Mexico 13 Nov. 30 Groups Goal difference tiebreaker
Saudi Arabia 51 Nov. 30 Groups Loss vs. Mexico
Tunisia 30 Nov. 30 Groups Win by Australia vs. Denmark
Denmark 10 Nov. 30 Groups Loss vs. Australia
Iran 20 Nov. 29 Groups Loss vs. USA
Wales 19 Nov. 29 Groups Loss vs. England
Ecuador 44 Nov. 29 Groups Loss vs. Senegal
Canada 41 Nov. 27 Groups Loss vs. Croatia AND
Morocco win vs. Belgium
Qatar 50 Nov. 25 Groups Loss vs. Senegal AND
NED-ECU draw

MORE: Which team has won the most World Cups in history?

2022 FIFA World Cup bracket December 18 update
(The Sporting News)

How many teams play in the World Cup?

Since the 1998 edition of the tournament, there have been 32 nations that qualify to every the men's FIFA championship held every four years.

That is set to change.

Beginning with the 2026 World Cup in North America (USA, Canada, and Mexico) the field will be expanded to 48 teams. The group stage will consist of 16 groups of three teams each with 32 teams advancing to the knockouts.

MORE: All the details surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America

Careful not to add to the players' workload, the total number of matches at the tournament will grow from 64 to 80, but the number of matches for any single team will not increase.

The maximum number of matches that the winning team will play at the 2026 World Cup is the same as in 2022: seven total matches.

In 2022, teams played three group matches followed by a maximum of four knockout stage contests for teams that make the final or third-place match. In 2026, the eventual winner will still play seven matches: two group matches and five in the knockouts on the way to hoisting the trophy.

Simon Borg

Simon Borg Photo

Simon Borg is a senior editor at The Sporting News who has covered football/soccer for over a decade. A supporter of Italian club Parma Calcio from his years growing up in Europe, he was previously a long-time member of Major League Soccer's digital media team, as a multimedia content producer, on-air personality, and Editor-in-Chief. Based in New York City, Borg is multilingual and has covered the domestic and global scene for TSN since 2021.