Bolivia was eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers after a 2-1 defeat to Iraq, according to an April 1 announcement. The match determined the final teams for the tournament, which will take place in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
The result means that Iraq will return to the World Cup for only the second time in its history. The team last participated in Mexico’s 1986 tournament, where it exited during the group stage. This year, Iraq is set to debut against Norway and will face a challenging group that includes Senegal and France.
Iraq secured its win with goals from Ali Al Hamadi in the tenth minute and Aymen Hussein in the fifty-third minute. Bolivia managed a temporary equalizer through Moisés Paniagua at minute thirty-eight but could not find another goal despite executing sixteen corner kicks. Bolivia had recently started a new phase under coach Óscar Villegas but fell short of reaching extra time.
In Europe, Italy also failed to qualify for this year’s World Cup. Bosnia and Herzegovina earned their spot by defeating Italy on penalties and joined Group B alongside Canada, Switzerland, and Qatar. Turkey secured qualification with a single goal from Akturkoglu against Kosovo and will compete in Group D with the United States, Australia, and Paraguay.
Other European qualifiers included Sweden—who beat Poland thanks to Viktor Gyökeres—and Czech Republic who overcame Denmark after penalties. In intercontinental playoffs, Democratic Republic of Congo defeated Jamaica with an extra-time goal by Axel Tuanzebe; they now join Group K with Portugal, Colombia, and Uzbekistan.
These results finalize most of the groups for this year’s tournament as national teams prepare for competition on North American soil.
