Dismissals and resignations following the early exit from the World Cup

^{Ronald Koeman, the resigned Netherlands coach (websites)}

The current World Cup in America, Canada and Mexico 2026 has witnessed many dismissals and resignations, after some teams were eliminated early from the tournament since the group stage.

Five coaches resigned immediately after their teams failed to reach the second round: Ronald Koeman, coach of the Netherlands; Hong Myung, coach of South Korea; Miroslav Koubek, coach of the Czech Republic; Steve Clarke, coach of Scotland; and Marcelo Bielsa, coach of Uruguay.

Uruguay coach admits failure

In a press conference held after the national team's return to Uruguay, coach Bielsa confirmed that the team had failed to achieve its goals, admitting that the performance was not up to the fans' expectations.

The Argentine coach said: "This ending is very painful, because of the dreams I had for myself and the way the experience ended. I feel very frustrated because we let the fans down, and I cannot justify getting only two points out of nine in the group stage."

Bielsa concluded by saying: "Football is full of mistakes, and this time we paid the price, but I leave convinced that the players gave their all, that we did the impossible to achieve success and we failed."

Koeman retires to focus on his wife's illness

Koeman wrote in an open letter: "I have made the decision to end my time as coach of the Dutch national team. It pains me that my time with the national team has ended in this way. We all dreamed of a World Cup where we would make history, but that did not happen."

He continued: "No one is more disappointed than I am about this. As the technical director, I take responsibility for this. I would like to thank all the players I have had the pleasure of working with."

Koeman announced he was taking a temporary break from football to support his wife, actress Bartina Koeman, in her battle against breast cancer, which she has been battling since June 2024.

He concluded by saying: "Football has been my life, but health is priceless."

The resignation of the president of the Saudi Federation

Yasser Al-Mishal announced his resignation from his position as president of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, following the national team's early exit from the 2026 World Cup group stage.

Majed Al Saheb, the acting Secretary General, began the first step in the transitional phase by holding a meeting to discuss the mechanism for implementing the regulatory procedures, before calling for an extraordinary general assembly to be held within 15 days to approve Yasser Al-Mishal’s resignation, and to complete the nomination and election program and the procedures for handing over tasks to the new council.

It is worth noting that Yasser Al-Mishal has been in charge of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation since 2019, and the Saudi national team has not succeeded in achieving any titles during his tenure, except for qualifying for the 2022 and 2026 World Cup finals.

The German Football Association evaluates Nagelsmann's tenure.

Bernd Neuendor