A harsh ranking: Türkiye placed near the bottom

In the assessment, which groups all teams at the largest World Cup in history by their likelihood of winning it all, it was noted that the ranking would be updated as the tournament progressed. Türkiye sitting almost rock-bottom was a direct result of the Crescent-Stars losing both of their opening games and being eliminated early. Just one place below Türkiye, in 48th, sit Curaçao, beaten 7-1 by Germany in their opener.

The comment about Türkiye also highlighted the team's misfortune. The piece said it was "beyond comprehension" how Türkiye had lost their first two games and gone out, because the Crescent-Stars had dominated both matches but could not finish. The assessment summed this up with the remark, "that's football, I guess." This view reflects the general consensus that, despite Türkiye's superiority in play on the pitch, their barren touch in front of goal was the decisive factor in their elimination.

Indeed, in their defeats to both Australia and Paraguay, Türkiye stood out for possession and chance creation, but failed to convert those chances and finished pointless in both games. Vincenzo Montella's side, despite racking up as many as 65 shots especially against Paraguay, could not find the net, and this picture was voiced in the post-match comments of both the manager and the players with an emphasis on "bad luck" and "fate."

In the same assessment, a similarly sad picture was painted for Haiti, who, like Türkiye, exited early. The list noted that Haiti brought plenty to their games against Scotland and Brazil, but that their elimination was a real shame, and that the passion their fans brought to the tournament was admirable. Alongside Türkiye and Haiti, teams that struggled at the tournament — such as Jordan, Curaçao and Tunisia — featured in the lower reaches of the ranking.

Such rankings can change dramatically based on teams' performances throughout the tournament. But Türkiye being placed in one of the bottom rungs in the very first week of the World Cup they returned to after 24 years lays bare just how big a disappointment the tournament turned out to be for Crescent-Star football. Türkiye will face the USA in their final group game; but that match is now only a formality and is not expected to change their place in the ranking significantly.

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