Will Porterfield's century was in vain as Pakistan ended Ireland's World Cup hopes with a seven-wicket win in Adelaide.
West Indies' earlier win over United Arab Emirates made the final Pool B game effectively a knock-out clash, with the winners advancing to the quarter-finals.
Ireland captain Porterfield won the toss and made an excellent 107 but his side's total of 237 always appeared short of par.
And so it proved as Pakistan openers Sarfraz Ahmed and Ahmed Shehzad put on 120, the former going on to 101 not out in a total of 241 for three.
Victory leaves Pakistan third in the final group standings, meaning they will play co-hosts Australia in the last eight, back at the Adelaide Oval on March 20.
The Windies will face New Zealand while the other quarter-finals pit South Africa against Sri Lanka and India against Bangladesh.
Porterfield lost opening partner Paul Stirling in the fourth over but put on 45 with Ed Joyce before the latter was dismissed for 11 by Wahab Riaz, who took 3-54.
Wickets fell at regular intervals, Niall O'Brien falling for 12 the over after Porterfield brought up a 59-ball half-century.
Porterfield put on 48 with Andy Balbirnie, who made 18, and the same with Gary Wilson as he advanced to three figures from 124 balls with 10 fours and a six.
His innings finally ended almost 39 overs in when he miscued to mid-on off Sohail Khan and Shahid Afridi took a good diving catch.
Wilson made 29 and though Stuart Thompson, John Mooney and George Dockrell all reached double figures, none could give the innings the late impetus it needed.
Dockrell's run-out off the last ball saw Ireland bowled out, with Khan and Rahat Ali taking two wickets each in support of Riaz.
The result was rarely in doubt as Shehzad and Sarfraz made a solid start before taking 14 runs from the eighth over, Thompson's first.
The score reached 50 from the first ball of the 10th over, bowled by George Dockrell and costing 17, and after Sarfraz was dropped by keeper Gary Wilson, Shehzad's half-century came from 52 balls with five fours.
The hundred came up in the 19th over and Sarfraz reached 50 in the next but the partnership was finally halted when Shehzad swatted Thompson to Joyce at mid-on.
Haris Sohail was shambolically run out but Sarfraz and Misbah-ul-Haq put on an assured 82 to move within reach of the target.
Misbah's 39 featured a typical mix of calm accumulation and occasional huge boundaries - but it ended in unfamiliar fashion as he shuffled back and across to Alex Cusack and, though he initially appeared to have played on, replays showed his back leg dislodged the bails and he was given out hit wicket.
Sarfraz was on 91 by that point but his progress to a maiden one-day international hundred was glacial.
New man Umar Akmal was reduced to blocking out almost whole overs to allow Sarfraz to reach three figures before the victory target was achieved, which he did when he chipped Dockrell over midwicket for only his sixth four in 120 balls.
Akmal contributed 20 and won it with a boundary, with 23 balls to spare.
It was not to be this time, but so proud of the effort of each & every one of these guys. Always #BackingGreenpic.twitter.com/ENo42LFpgf
— Cricket Ireland (@Irelandcricket) March 15, 2015
Porterfield said: "Overall, I'm very pleased with how the lads have stuck at it. We've come in, we've beaten two Test nations, we've played some very good cricket.
"For now we are disappointed. We had very high hopes for it today, we came in with a lot of confidence with how we were playing and that's testament to where we've come and where we're at as a team.
"It's a disappointed changing room now but when we do sit and reflect on it, I think we'll be very happy with what we've achieved."