The group stage of the WMF World Cup in Baku has come to an end, marking an eventful opening chapter to the tournament.
Held at the National Gymnastics Arena, 16 of the 32 competing teams have already exited the championship, Idman.biz reports.
Azerbaijan in the Round of 16
Azerbaijan kicked off its home campaign with a 1–1 draw against Bahrain. The team then defeated Slovenia 4–1 and Mauritania 2–0, finishing atop Group A. In the Round of 16, they will face the reigning world champions, Romania.
Runner-up knocked out
One of the biggest shocks came from Kazakhstan, the 2023 World Cup finalists, who failed to progress past the group stage. After losing to Poland and drawing with Bosnia and Herzegovina, their win over the USA wasn’t enough. They finished with 4 points but remained third in the group.
Medalists struggle
Romania, the reigning world champion, also had a tough path, only securing qualification on the final matchday and finishing second in their group. Similarly, Hungary, bronze medalists in 2023, advanced as runners-up, trailing behind France and England, respectively.
Mixed results for debutants
First-time participants had contrasting fortunes. While Bahrain, Slovenia, Chad, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Indonesia were all eliminated in the group stage, debutants Mauritania, Poland, and Israel made it to the knockout rounds.
Portugal and Serbia go perfect
Only two teams managed to win all their group matches: Portugal and Serbia. Serbia triumphed over Spain, Israel, and Ghana, while Portugal beat Bulgaria, Slovakia, and India. Cristiano Ronaldo’s compatriots have looked dominant so far.
Five teams exit without a point
Five nations lost all their matches: India, Costa Rica, Argentina, Ghana, and Ukraine. India continued its streak as a perennial underdog and was the only team in the tournament to not score a single goal, conceding 28 in total.
Four points not always enough
In some groups, the competition was so intense that even 4 points weren’t enough to reach the knockout stage. Bahrain, Uzbekistan, Turkey, and Kazakhstan were all eliminated despite winning one game and drawing another. Interestingly, Romania and Mauritania advanced with the same point tally.
India's misery and the 15-goal irony
The most lopsided result of the tournament saw Slovakia hammer India with a 15–0 victory — the highest-scoring game so far. India conceded 28 goals overall without replying once.
192 goals in 36 matches
Across 36 games, a total of 192 goals have been scored — an average of 5.33 goals per game. Slovakia leads in scoring with 16 goals, but remarkably, 15 of those came against India. Despite their prolific attack, Slovakia failed to advance. Montenegro netted 14 goals, while Portugal and the Czech Republic both scored 13.
Idman.biz
