It’s possible we might witness a situation where a team with three points is eliminated, while another side progresses to the knockout phase with only two points.

Earlier in the tournament, before Morocco twice rallied from behind to win their match, it briefly appeared that Haiti could end Group C with three points and still finish at the bottom of the table.

This scenario could still unfold in this summer’s World Cup. Several groups that have not yet concluded remain open to the possibility of a team finishing last in their group despite collecting three points, resulting in their elimination at the group stage.

Already eliminated Turkiye, for example, would find themselves in that exact position if they manage to beat the United States on Thursday.

This brings up an interesting question: since all third-placed teams are compared against each other regardless of how their respective groups performed, could we actually see a country sent home with three points while another team with fewer points advances?

The short answer is yes. Even a team that fails to reach three points but finishes third technically has a chance of progressing to the round of 32.

This is because only the four lowest-ranked third-placed teams are eliminated, and in several groups, it remains technically possible for a team to finish third with fewer than three points.

Here are the groups where such outcomes could occur:

Group A: 1 point: If Mexico defeat Czech Republic and South Korea overcome South Africa. A draw in either of these matches would leave the third-placed team on two points.

Group E: 1 point: A similar situation to Group A, with Curacao facing Ivory Coast and Ecuador playing Germany.

Group G: 2 points: This would happen if New Zealand beat Belgium and/or Egypt defeat Iran.

Group H: 2 points: This could occur if Uruguay lose to Spain.

Group I: 1 point: If Senegal and Iraq play out a draw.

Group K: 2 points: If DR Congo and Uzbekistan share the points in their match.

Should five of these six groups end in this manner, then one team with two points would progress to the round of 32.

In the even rarer case that all six groups produce such outcomes, two teams with two points each would reach the knockout stage.

However, it remains impossible for any team to qualify as a third-placed side with only a single point.