Ten coaches walked out of the 2026 World Cup without a job. Some were pushed. Some jumped. One had already agreed to go before the tournament even started. Here's the full picture of the managerial wreckage Spain left in their wake on the road to lifting the trophy in New Jersey.
The early departures
Sabri Lamouchi was the first to go. Tunisia's 5-1 thrashing by Sweden on day five of the tournament ended his tenure after just five games in charge — one win, one draw, three defeats. The replacement they turned to was Hervé Renard, who lasted a few days longer before enduring the same fate. Tunisia conceded 12 goals across the group stage, a figure matched only by Iraq. Renard was gone by July 4.
Marcelo Bielsa left Uruguay on June 30 after three years in charge. They didn't win a single group game. For a squad of Uruguay's quality, that's a damning return.
Miroslav Koubek resigned after Czech Republic finished bottom of their group with two defeats and a draw. Korea Republic's Hong Myung-bo followed the same day — back-to-back 1-0 losses to Mexico and South Africa left them with no route to the Round of 32. Scotland's Steve Clarke also handed in his notice after a group stage exit, his team undone by goal difference in what was admittedly a brutal draw.
Knockout stage exits and big names falling
Ronald Koeman resigned on June 30, one day after the Netherlands were knocked out on penalties by Morocco in the Round of 32. "It hurts that my time with the Dutch national team has ended like this," he wrote. It was his second stint with Oranje, and it ends with a painful shootout exit. Netherlands' next manager inherits a squad still capable of going deep at a major tournament — the price on them to win Euro 2028 will be worth watching once the rebuild begins.
Ecuador's Sebastián Beccacece went a day later on July 1. Beating Germany in the group stage made the exit to Mexico at the Azteca sting harder. "I have no regrets, only gratitude," he said. That's a graceful exit from a coach who delivered a genuine upset before the wheels came off.
Julian Nagelsmann's Germany failed to reach the Round of 16 for the third consecutive World Cup. The DFB paid him a $7 million severance to make it clean, and Jürgen Klopp is set to take over. Three group stage exits in a row is a structural problem, not just a coaching one — though Nagelsmann paid the price regardless.
Later casualties included:
- Carlos Queiroz — hired specifically for Ghana's World Cup campaign in April, his contract ended with their 1-0 Round of 32 defeat to Colombia.
- Pape Thiaw — Senegal led Belgium by two goals, lost 3-2 in extra time, and Thiaw was dismissed on July 11.
- Rudi García — announced on July 20 he would not extend his Belgium contract, which had 11 days left to run.
- Zlatko Dalic, Roberto Martínez, and Javier Aguirre all declined to renew their contracts following their respective exits.
Didier Deschamps had already agreed to leave France after the tournament — his departure was planned, not forced. Still, crashing out to Spain in the semis wasn't the farewell he had in mind. The man who lifted the World Cup as a player in 1998 deserved a better send-off than a semifinal exit.
Two situations remain unresolved. Lionel Scaloni's Argentina contract expires at the end of the year, and renewal looks unlikely. Vladimir Petkovic stays on as Algeria coach for now — the FAF want stability ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers starting in September, with a commission still to rule on his long-term future.
Ten confirmed departures, two more hanging in the balance, and the post-World Cup market for international managers is already moving fast.
