12 of the 48 coaches of World Cup teams have already been sacked or resigned

These are the coaches that have resigned or have been fired after failing in the World Cup.
Text: Javier Escribano
Published 2026-07-08

World Cup 2026 is in the final stages: from the record amount of 48 teams, to just 8 now, right before quarter-finals begin. Six are European (France, Belgium, England, Spain, Switzerland, Norway), one African, Morocco, and one South American, Argentina.

The privilege of working as head coach of a national team during World Cup comes with a great responsibility. And if things don't work out, you risk angering an entire country and your credibility is at risk. And so far, 12 coaches have been sacked or have resigned after (one of them during) World Cup, from the 40 teams that have already been eliminated, or in other words, 25% of all World Cup coaches:


Roberto Martinez (Portugal) - Eliminated in round of 16
Javier Aguierre (Mexico) - Eliminated in round of 16
Carlos Queiroz (Ghana) - Eliminated in round of 32
Julian Nagelsmann (Germany) - Eliminated in round of 32
Sebastián Beccacece (Ecuador) - Eliminated in round of 32
Ronald Koeman (Netherlands) - Eliminated in round of 32
Zlatko Dalic (Croatia) - Eliminated in round of 32
Marcelo Bielsa (Uruguay) - Eliminated in group stage
Miroslav Koubek (Czechia) - Eliminated in group stage
Steve Clarke (Scotland) - Eliminated in group stage
Hong Myung-bo (South Korea) - Eliminated in group stage
Sabri Lamouchi (Tunisia) - Fired after just one match in group stage, later eliminated in group stage


There will likely be more, although being eliminated in quarter-finals is hardly a disgrace (for some, like Norway, being here is already a huge achievement). From the teams that have been kicked out, the situations differ (none as extreme as South Korean Hong Myung-bo, who has actually fled to the United States for his own security).

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