Only one nation will be celebrating on July 19 – the date of the 2026 World Cup final.
As the tournament nears its final stretch, the campaign has sadly ended for many of the 48 sides that kicked off the finals last month.
As is the case at every World Cup, some managers of the eliminated teams have either resigned or been asked to leave.
In some cases, players have called time on their international careers, including Brazilian star Neymar and Algeria's Riyad Mahrez.
Below is the list of managers and officials who left office after the 2026 World Cup, and players who walked away.
Pape Thiaw (Senegal)
Senegal terminated the contract of coach Pape Thiaw after their exit from the World Cup. Senegal lost the Round of 32 clash with Belgium 3-2 despite leading 2-0 in the 86th minute.
The Senegalese Football Federation decided to part ways with the 45-year-old coach after two years in the position.
"It was decided to initiate a procedure to terminate the functions of the national coach, Mr. Pape Thiaw, as well as his entire technical staff," the federation said.
"After a thorough evaluation of the sporting results and prospects of the national team, the Executive Committee deemed it necessary to initiate this procedure in the best interests of Senegalese football."
Roberto Martinez (Portugal)
Portugal appointed Jorge Jesus as the new head coach after Roberto Martinez stepped down following their World Cup exit against Spain.
Jesus signed a four-year deal to coach the national team through the 2030 World Cup.
Martinez's stint with Portugal finished after the 1-0 loss to Spain in the last 16.
Jesus joins the national team have spent the last year with a national icon - with Cristiano Ronaldo at Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr.
Zlatko Dalic (Croatia)
Zlatko Dalic stepped down as head coach of the Croatia team after nearly nine years in charge.
Dalic left his post following a 2-1 defeat to Portugal in the Round of 32.
Under Dalic, Croatia finished runners-up at the 2018 World Cup and third in the 2022 finals in Qatar.
"I leave with a fulfilled heart, proud of my contribution to the greatest successes of Croatian football in history. I wish my successor, the national team and Croatian football many new successes," Dalic said on Instagram.
Dalic is reportedly being considered for the UAE top job.
Neymar (Brazil)
Brazil star Neymar has stated his iconic international career is over following his team's 2-1 defeat to Norway in the Round of 16.
The 34-year-old gave an emotional interview to TV Globo. He was also in tears following the match in New Jersey where he scored Brazil's lone goal via penalty.
“I tried,” Neymar said after the match. “It started here, at MetLife Stadium, and I finished here. It is now over.”
He made his first international appearance for Brazil in a friendly against the United States in 2010 at the MetLife Stadium.
Neymar is his country's all-time leading scorer with 80 goals, ahead of the legendary Pele, who scored 77.
Javier Aguirre (Mexico)
Javier Aguirre's run as manager of Mexico's World Cup team ended with the 3-2 loss to England on Sunday night, he confirmed after the last-16 match in Mexico City.
Aguirre, 67, said he was resigning after his third stint as national team coach. He had guided El Tri to the last 16 in 2002 and 2010, and was hired in July 2024 to bring success as Mexico serves as one of three host countries in 2026 with the United States and Canada.
The path for succession already was in place for Aguirre's assistant coach, Mexico legend Rafa Marquez, Mexican football officials had confirmed earlier this year.
With Mexico eliminated on Sunday, the focus will turn to the 2030 World Cup and the vision of Marquez, 47, who scored 17 goals in 147 games for his national team. He was captain of five World Cup teams (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018).
Julian Nagelsmann (Germany)
The Germany boss stepped down following a disappointing Round-of-32 exit to Paraguay.
Nagelsmann, 38, was contracted to the national team through to 2028 and had said he was prepared to stay on following Germany's shock exit to Paraguay on penalties.
Nagelsmann held talks with officials from the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday. However, Bild reported DFB officials were not satisfied with Nagelsmann's explanation for the team's disappointing tournament, which resulted in his decision to step down on Friday.
Sky Germany is reporting that former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is ready to take over the national team if approached.
It is the third World Cup in a row Germany have failed to reach the last 16.
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)
Arguably Algeria's greatest-ever player called time on his international career following the Fennecs' World Cup exit to Switzerland.
"Our aim was to go through and I think it was a game we could have won," Mahrez, 35, said following the 2-0 Round-of-32 defeat.
"But we conceded twice on mistakes and at this level, you can’t get away with it. There are always positives to take away from matches: we did manage to get out of the group stage, but we conceded too many goals to aspire to more. This was my last match with Algeria."
Mahrez's announcement brings down the curtain on an international career that saw him play a starring role in the Fennecs' 2019 Africa Cup of Nations triumph, as well as amass 119 caps and score 40 goals.
Jamal Sellami (Jordan)
Jordan parted ways with head coach Jamal Sellami following their early exit from the World Cup.
Sellami, appointed in 2024, led Jordan to the World Cup for the first time, but they lost all three games in Group J to Austria, Iraq and Argentina.
"As your journey with Jordan national team comes to an end, we thank you for your efforts and outstanding dedication, and for your contribution to achieving the historic milestone of qualifying our national team for the World Cup," Jordan Football Association (JFA) president Prince Ali bin Al Hussein said on Sunday.
Sellami led Jordan to the 2025 Arab Cup final. He was awarded Jordanian citizenship for his achievements with the national team.
Ronald Koeman (Netherlands)
The Dutch legend announced his resignation after his Dutch team were eliminated from the World Cup in the knockout round by Morocco via a tense penalty shoot-out.
“Last night, I made the decision to end my tenure as head coach of the Dutch national team,” Koeman said on social media.
“We all dreamt of a World Cup in which we would make history. That didn't happen. No one is more disappointed about that than I am. As head coach, you bear that responsibility.”
Koeman had taken over as coach after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar where the Netherlands reached the quarter-finals.
It was Koeman's second stint with the Dutch team, having previously coached them from 2018 to 2020.
Hong Myung-bo (South Korea)
Hong is a South Korean hero, having captained the team that famously reached the World Cup semi-finals on home soil in 2002. However, his tenure as the national team coach saw his popularity plummet.
Public opinion turned against him at the 2014 World Cup when the South Korean side, under his management, were eliminated in the group phase.
This year, South Korea once again failed to make it past the first stage following losses against Mexico and South Africa, leading to his resignation.
“I would like to sincerely apologise to the citizens who have loved Korean football and always supported the national team,” Hong said.
“I wish to step down as head coach of the South Korean national football team. Accepting this role was never an easy decision for me. However, once I made that decision, I did not consider any other reasons. I believed my only task was to fulfil the responsibility entrusted to me to the end.”
Miroslav Koubek (Czech)
Miroslav Koubek resigned as the Czech national team coach after a poor World Cup campaign. They finished bottom of Group A with only one point from a draw with South Africa.
Koubek guided the Czechs through a tricky round of European playoffs to reach the World Cup for the first time since 2006. However, they were far from impressive in North America, with the coach also blaming an exhausting travel schedule for fatigue and underperformance.
“A media campaign based on a number of half-truths and fabrications against me also contributed to my decision,” Koubek said in a statement. “In this atmosphere, my work for the Czech national team would no longer make sense.”
Yasser Al Misehal (Saudi Arabia)
This one was bigger than just a change of coach. Saudi Arabia Football Federation president Yasser Al Misehal resigned from his post after the kingdom's early exit from the World Cup.
Expectations were high after Saudi Arabia famously defeated eventual champions Argentina at the 2022 World Cup. However, the Green Falcons finished bottom of Group H with two points. They were eliminated after drawing against Uruguay and Cape Verde, having lost badly to Spain.
“The national team's failure to qualify for the next round of the World Cup is a result that falls short of all our ambitions,” Al Misehal said.
“I bear full responsibility for it, apologising to everyone who hoped to see our team in a better position.”
“Based on my conviction that responsibility requires providing the opportunity for a new phase, I have decided not to continue until the end of the current term.”
Sabri Lamouchi (Tunisia)
Tunisia moved quickly following a disastrous start to the World Cup. Head coach Lamouchi was sacked following their 5-1 opening defeat to Sweden, with former Saudi Arabia boss Herve Renard appointed in his place.
Lamouchi, 54, had only taken over in January and was in charge for just five matches. He now holds the unwanted record of becoming the first coach to be dismissed after a single game of a World Cup finals.
Tunisia had high hopes coming into the tournament as they had not conceded a single goal during qualifying. But the 2026 finals turned out to be a disaster as they lost all three games comprehensively, conceding 12 goals.
Steve Clarke (Scotland)
Scotland manager Clarke stepped down from his position following his team's exit from the group stage in what was their first finals in 28 years.
Scotland were third in Group C with one win and two losses, but could not finish as one of the top eight third-place teams to advance to the Round of 32.
“The most emotional part of this goodbye is for my players, without whom we wouldn't have had any of the memories that we've accumulated from 2019 until now,” Clarke said.
“They deserve all the praise and adulation that they receive and it was truly an honour to be called their gaffer. Thanks for having me and good luck to my successor.”
Clarke has led the team since 2019 and his 36 wins as Scotland manager are the most by any coach in the nation's history.
Sebastian Beccacece (Ecuador)
Beccacece stepped down as Ecuador coach after their 2-0 defeat by Mexico in the Round of 32.
Ecuador made it to the knockouts following a dramatic win over Germany, but fell short against a clinical Mexico.
"Our contract ended with the World Cup. I don't think we were able to achieve the feat we promised. Today it's my turn to say goodbye," Beccacece said.
"That's why I have to leave. I would have liked to continue because what I received from the players and the management warranted the possibility of continuing. But I understand how this works and it hurts, but I think the decision was clear."
