2026 World Cup: Roberto Martinez, Carlos Queiroz, already eight coaches have left their positions

The 2026 World Cup continues to claim victims on the sidelines. With the departure of Roberto Martínez after Portugal’s elimination, eight coaches have already left their positions since the start of the knockout phase. The Spanish coach announced his departure following Portugal’s defeat to Spain (1-0) on Monday in the round of 16. Coming to the end of his contract, he confirmed that his adventure with the Seleção was over. “My contract ends today. It’s the end of a cycle,” said Roberto Martínez at the end of the match.

His departure comes a few days after Carlos Queiroz, who also announced his resignation as coach of Ghana following the Black Stars’ elimination. Before them, several coaches had already paid the price for their team’s underperformance during the 2026 World Cup. Julian Nagelsmann left Germany, Sebastián Beccacece left Ecuador, Ronald Koeman left the Netherlands, Miroslav Koubek left the Czech Republic, Steve Clarke left Scotland, and Hong Myung-bo left South Korea. This series of departures once again illustrates the pressure that accompanies major international competitions, where a disappointing performance is often enough to accelerate the end of a tenure, regardless of the previous record of the coach.