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Mass layoffs! The World Cup kicks off a “sack-the-coach” wave

With the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico nearing the end, the teams in the final have already been determined. As of July 16 Beijing time, a total of 16 head coaches from 15 World Cup-participating teams have stepped down, setting a new World Cup record.

The 15 teams are Tunisia, Senegal, Uruguay, Mexico, Ecuador, South Africa, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Scotland, South Korea, Germany, Croatia, the Netherlands, Ghana, and Jordan. Among them, Tunisia is the only team at this tournament where both head coaches have completely left: Lamouchi, who was appointed before the tournament, and the interim emergency coach, Lennar, both announced their departures one after another.

When a head coach leaves, it usually falls into scenarios such as being dismissed midstream, resigning of their own accord, or a contract expiring without renewal. But in most cases, it is because of poor results. On the football pitch, the head coach is always a “high-risk job.” When the team does well, they can enjoy both fame and fortune; when it doesn’t, they face the prospect of being sent packing in a grim fashion.

Looking back at previous World Cups, there are countless cases of head coaches being fired due to poor performance. In the last 10 World Cups, nearly 100 head coaches were dismissed. Among them, there were 3 editions in which the number of coaches sacked in a single tournament exceeded 10: the 1998 France World Cup (10 coaches), the 2006 Germany World Cup (11 coaches), and the 2010 South Africa World Cup (13 coaches).

This edition’s record of 16 head-coach departures can also be seen as a likely outcome driven by the World Cup expansion. Because of the expansion, the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup added an additional round of the round of 16, and the threshold for advancing from the group stage has also been lowered. This new format has given many teams and fans hope of making a breakthrough and raised their expectations for results—but for head coaches, the pressure has not decreased; it has actually increased.

The first head coach to be dismissed in this World Cup was let go earlier than in previous editions. In the first round of the group stage, Tunisia were thrashed by Sweden 1-5. Less than 48 hours after the defeat, the Tunisia Football Association announced the dismissal of head coach Lamouchi, who became the only head coach in World Cup history to be dismissed after just one match. The coach who took over, Lennar, was unable to change Tunisia’s fate of finishing at the bottom of the group. From the moment he took charge to his departure at the end of the tournament, his full tenure lasted only 18 days, setting a new record for the shortest spell of an “emergency rescue” coach mid-World Cup.

On July 8, the Croatian Football Association announced that head coach Dalic had resigned. In this World Cup, Croatia’s performance was disappointing and they missed out on the Round of 16, which was the worst record of his coaching tenure with the team. Dalic took charge in October 2017 and is the most successful head coach in Croatia’s team history, having led the side to a runner-up finish at the 2018 World Cup and a third-place finish at the 2022 World Cup. Although the Croatian Football Association tried its best to retain him, Dalic insisted on leaving.

Like Dalic, Germany’s head coach Nagelsmann also resigned on his own due to poor results. In this World Cup, Germany lost to Paraguay on penalties in the first round of the knockout stage and were eliminated in the Round of 32. After that, Nagelsmann submitted his resignation letter, which was approved.

Some other head coaches’ tenures ended naturally. Bielsa of Uruguay is one such case. This Argentine coach had originally been responsible for a large-scale cycle of replacing old players with new ones in Uruguay, but a series of highly controversial personnel decisions, a sluggish atmosphere in the dressing room, and—on top of that—Uruguay’s poor performance at the World Cup accelerated a coaching career that was already nearing its end.

On July 1 Beijing time, Netherlands head coach Koeman, whose team missed out on the Round of 16, announced that he would step down. “No one is more disappointed in this than me. As a head coach, you have to take responsibility for it.” The Netherlands Football Association also said at the same time that Koeman’s contract had already expired, so this was a natural departure.

A new coach taking over often signals the start of a new cycle. Football associations hope that by changing coaches, the team will be able to make some kind of change. During Dalic’s time in charge, he was criticized repeatedly for relying too heavily on veteran players such as Modric and for lagging in developing younger players. When he stepped down, Dalic said, “The ‘red army’ are ready for a new captain to take the helm.”

After Nagelsmann left, the German Football Association quickly turned its attention to Klopp, hoping he would become the new guide for the German war machine. Klopp said he was more than happy to do so. Even though he had not yet signed the employment contract, Klopp had already started considering the membership list for the next Germany coaching team.

“At this age, it’s time to take a break. The younger generation of coaches will bring an entirely new look to the team. Wishing them good luck.” Mexico’s veteran coach Aguirre said in his farewell speech, “In the future, I will continue supporting the Mexico team as an ordinary spectator, but I won’t step onto the stage again—that’s where young people belong.”

The increasingly fierce “sack-the-coach” wave is not over yet. Before this World Cup kicked off, France’s head coach Deschamps had already announced that regardless of the final results, he will hang up his whistle and leave after the journey in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Now Deschamps and France still have a third-place match to prepare for. With 90 minutes left, does Deschamps still have a chance to leave France with a World Cup title, a runner-up finish, and a third-place finish to his name—proudly?