FLASH
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The 2026 World Cup was designed to produce as few surprises as possible in the group stage. With the tournament expanding to 48 teams and 32 of them qualifying for the knockout stage, it was expected that the favourites would have an easier time progressing.
Overall, the bigger teams managed to secure qualification, but there were also surprises.
One of the biggest disappointments was Turkey's elimination. The Turkish team suffered two group defeats and, despite a victory in the final match against the United States, failed to secure a place in the round of 16.
However, the biggest surprise of this stage was the elimination of Uruguay. The South American team closed the group behind debutant Cape Verde and, with only two points accumulated, failed to even rank among the eight best third-place representatives.
On the other hand, Cape Verde is the most beautiful story of the group stage. Although given only a 32% chance of qualifying before the start of the tournament, the debutants managed to get three draws and secure a historic place in the 1/16 stage.
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