The biggest World Cup in history featuring 48 teams is already beginning to shrink as we reach the business end of the group stage.
While co-hosts United States and Mexico sealed their progression to the knockout stages, joined by Germany, Argentina, France and Norway, four nations suffered a tournament exit.
So which sides have been condemned to elimination and how did their World Cup hopes come to a heartbreaking end?
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1. Haiti
Haiti qualified for only their second-ever World Cup, having last done so in 1974, when they failed to register a single point.
Fast-forward 52 years later, Haiti have suffered the same fate, exiting the group stage following two defeats with no goals scored.
Faring in a tough Group C, Haiti fell to a 1-0 defeat against Scotland in their opener, despite pushing the Tartan Army to their limits and even coming close to an equaliser. Frantzdy Pierrot's header flashed past the post late on, denying Haiti their first World Cup goal in over half a century.
Their exit was confirmed after a 3-0 defeat to Brazil, despite a valiant second-half display against the five-time world champions.
Haiti -- who entered the tournament 83rd in FIFA's ranking -- will face Morocco in their final game on the world stage. They have pride to play for, but Morocco won't be handing out any favours as they target a win to strengthen their chances of topping Group C.
2. Türkiye
Haiti's early exit may not have come as a surprise to many, but the same can't be said for the nation who crashed out two and a half hours later.
Türkiye, pipped as dark horses for a deep World Cup run, entered Group D boasting perhaps the best squad on paper with the likes of Arda Güler and Kenan Yildiz among other talents and it's safe to say they endured a nightmare tournament.
This stat just about sums it up: Türkiye registered 62 shots in two games and failed to score a single goal -- the most shots without a goal by a team in a single World Cup (since 1966).
After losing 2-0 to Australia in their opening game, many felt it was just a dip in the road and they would kick on from then. But they did not, falling behind against Paraguay and failing to score against ten men in the second half. Türkiye's fate was sealed then and there.
Despite being the better team statistically in both games, they were wasteful in possession and lacked cutting edge.
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Prior to the opening game, the Group D finale between United States and Türkiye was widely viewed as the decider for top spot, but now it presents the tournament co-hosts with a golden chance to register three wins on the bounce.
"Football is not logical. We have to accept the result," Türkiye coach Vincenzo Montella said. "That is why people dream. Not every time the team that plays better wins the game. That's the sport we're playing. That's football."
3. Tunisia
Tunisia followed suit with a tournament to forget. This was the nation's seventh World Cup tournament and they once again failed to make it out of their group, though it was certainly wishful to expect them to.
Competing in a tough Group F containing the Netherlands, Japan and Sweden, Tunisia conceded nine goals in two games.
Head coach Sabri Lamouchi was sacked after a heavy 5-1 defeat to Sweden but his replacement Herve Renard -- Tunisia's seventh manager since qualifying began -- did very little to prevent a 4-0 loss to Japan which came next.
There was no 'new manager bounce' as a strong Japan side swept them aside on the World Cup's 1000th game, condemning them to an inevitable elimination.
Tunisia face a stern test against the Dutch next, and will perhaps look to add another goal to Omar Rekik's against Sweden in their quest to end the tournament with some pride.
4. Jordan
Jordan, who didn't quite manage the heroics of their fellow debutants Cape Verde and Curaçao, are out of the World Cup.
Dealt a very tough hand in Group J, with defending champions Argentina, Algeria and Austria, it was difficult to foresee Jordan pull off any upsets but they still managed to find the net in both games.
They opened their campaign with a 3-1 defeat to Austria, with Ali Olwan scoring an equaliser to register the nation's first-ever World Cup goal and that certainly will long linger in the Jordanians' memory.
Nizar Al Rashdan added another moment to revel in, when he curled home against for a first-half lead against Algeria, but they struggled to navigate swathes of pressure and were overturned 2-1 in a late fightback.
Jordan's final group game will see debutants take on champions as their last dance on the World Cup stage will be a meeting with Lionel Messi's Argentina.
5. Panama
Panama are out of the World Cup, following a narrow 1-0 loss to Croatia.
Substitute Ante Budimir's goal in the second half sealed Panama's fate, as they suffered the second loss of their campaign, following a defeat of the same scoreline to Ghana on June 17.
The defeat to Ghana was particularly bruising, as it came in the 95th minute of the match.
Panama were placed in a challenging group, including England, Croatia and Ghana. The match against Croatia also marked the 200th international cap for captain Luka Modric.
The legendary midfielder, 40, is at his fifth World Cup and was thrown into the air by his teammates at the end of the match as he became only the fourth men's player to reach that milestone.
Panama's final group game will be against England on June 27, as England will be seeking to finish top of Group L following their stalemate against Ghana on June 23.
6. Czechia
Czechia were eliminated from the World Cup on June 24 as Mexico maintained their 100% winning record and beat Czechia 3-0.
Mexico scored three goals in the second half as they finished top of Group A with maximum points and it was a match to remember as the legendary goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, 40, made an appearance to mark his sixth World Cup.
Czechia failed to win any of their group games, only managing a draw against South Africa and go home with just one point.
7. Qatar
Bosnia-Herzegovina eliminated Qatar with a 3-1 defeat on June 24.
Qatar's only point came from their shock draw with Switzerland but they failed to win any of their group games.
Kerim Alajbegovic scored in the 29th minute to give Bosnia-Herzegovina, whose only other World Cup appearance came in Brazil in 2014, a lead it would never relinquish.
Bosnia-Herzegovina then added a second goal in the 34th minute, before Qatar scored in the 42nd minute make it a nervy game. Bosnia-Herzegovina scored again in the 80th minute to secure the victory send Qatar home.
