For 16 countries, their World Cup dreams came to an early end as they failed to progress from the group stage of the competition. From debutants to Olympic champions, hundreds of players saw their tournament come to an end after just three games.
Here’s the full list of countries who will be heading home after failing to qualify for the World Cup knockouts.
Group A: New Zealand, Philippines
Co-hosts New Zealand couldn’t make it to the round of 16 after collecting four points from a possible nine. Claiming their first-ever World Cup win against Norway, the Football Ferns would go on to suffer defeat against the Philippines before holding Switzerland to a goalless draw.
The Philippines too failed to progress from Group A. The win over New Zealand provided them their only points of the tournament. Conceding eight goals whilst scoring just one, the Filipinas finished bottom of the group at their maiden World Cup.
Group B: Canada, Ireland
Failing to qualify for the knockouts, Canada became the first current Olympic champions not to progress from the group stage. Canada’s defeat to Australia, alongside a draw with Nigeria, saw the team finish third in Group B.
Ireland’s debut World Cup ended with Vera Pauw’s side finishing bottom of their group. Despite collecting just one point, the tournament will live long in the memory of players and fans, with Katie McCabe scoring Ireland’s first goal at a Women’s World Cup.
Embed from Getty ImagesGroup C: Zambia, Costa Rica
Costa Rica’s second World Cup saw the side suffer heavy defeats in all three of their group stage matches. Bagging a consolation goal against Zambia, Costa Rica will take plenty of lessons from this summer’s tournament.
Zambia’s maiden World Cup saw the Copper Queens face some of the best players in the world. Securing their first World Cup win against Costa Rica, Zambia’s debut will undoubtedly inspire a new generation of future footballers.
Group D: China, Haiti
China’s departure from Group D was undoubtedly one of the disappointments of the tournament. The 1999 runners-up suffered a slim defeat to Denmark before scraping a 1-0 victory over debutants Haiti. A crushing loss to England saw China concede six goals at the hands of Sarina Wiegman’s side, rendering progression from the group stage impossible.
For Haiti, their maiden World Cup saw Nicolas Delepine’s team give a strong account of themselves. A robust and organised defence meant the side conceded just four goals in a difficult group.
Embed from Getty ImagesGroup E: Portugal, Vietnam
Missing out on qualification to the group stage by just a single point, Portugal gave an outstanding account of themselves against some of the best in world football. Losing to the Netherlands by the most slender of margins and holding the current world champions to a goalless draw, Francisco Neto’s side arguably deserved a spot in the final 16.
Coming bottom of Group E, Vietnam struggled to find a foothold in the tournament in potentially the most competitive group. Conceding 12 goals without managing any in reply, Mai Duc Chung’s side will take some valuable lessons with them from their debut World Cup.
Group F: Brazil, Panama
Crashing out of their ninth World Cup in the group stage, Brazil’s early exit was undoubtedly one of the shocks of the tournament. Despite getting their campaign off to a flying start, the team were unable to carry that momentum into their next two games. Suffering a disappointing defeat to France before being held to a goalless draw by Jamaica, Brazil finished the group with four points from a possible nine. The departure ended the fairytale many had dreamt of for legend Marta, whose sixth World Cup will be her last.
For Panama, their debut World Cup saw the team visibly grow in confidence and belief as the group stage progressed. Despite suffering a heavy defeat to Brazil in their opening game, the tournament will live long in the memory of fans and players alike. Marta Cox’s wonder goal against France in their final game will arguably be one of the moments of the competition.
Embed from Getty ImagesGroup G: Italy, Argentina
Italy and Argentina were the two sides who failed to progress from Group G. A draw against South Africa provided Argentina with their only point of the tournament. Suffering defeats to Italy and Sweden, La Albiceleste’s fourth appearance at a Women’s World Cup saw them fail to progress beyond the group stage once again.
For Italy, their performance at their fourth World Cup fell far short of 2019, where they made it to the quarter-finals before falling foul to the Netherlands. A heavy defeat to Sweden alongside a slender loss to South Africa dealt a fatal blow to Italy’s hopes of progression.
Group H: Morocco, South Korea
Group H undoubtedly provided the story of the group stage. Debutants Morocco transformed a nightmarish start into a fairytale finale. Edging Germany out of the qualification spots, Reynald Pedros’ side secured their spot in the final sixteen of their maiden World Cup.
The two-time world champions enjoyed a resounding 6-0 win over Morocco in their first match. A change of fortune however saw them fail to progress to the knockouts for the first time in their history. Suffering a defeat to Colombia before being held to a draw by South Korea, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s side will be disappointed with the performance at their ninth World Cup.
Finishing at the bottom of Group H, South Korea had a difficult start to their fourth World Cup campaign. Suffering two losses, the Korean Republic secured their only point of the tournament in their 1-1 draw with Germany.
