The 10 Biggest Disappointments of the 2026 World Cup

Back in 2023, after the Milwaukee Bucks’ first-round elimination at the hands of the Miami Heat, two-time NBA MVP and 10-time All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo insisted "there's no failure in sports.”

Giannis emphasized the importance of the journey, instead viewing what the majority perceive to be “failure” as a "step towards success".

At the 2026 World Cup, 48 nations have been whittled down to just four.

44 have been eliminated, but not all exits are equal. For some, including four debutants, it was all about relishing the experience. Others, though, have departed North America with a genuine sense of regret. There have been indisputable failures from individuals to organizations—sorry, Giannis.

Here are the 10 biggest disappointments of the 2026 World Cup.

Portugal

This was another tournament too far Cristiano Ronaldo. | Grzegorz Wajda/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

“Sad, frustrated, and disappointed,” Bruno Fernandes wrote on social media in the wake of Portugal’s round of 16 exit to Iberian neighbors Spain.

Fernandes entered the tournament off the back of a record-breaking Premier League season with Manchester United, breaking Thierry Henry’s assist record from 2002–03 that was matched by Kevin De Bruyne in 2019–20.

He was part of a mightily talented Portuguese roster with stars all over the pitch, and while the team wasn’t one of FIFA’s top-four seeds, few would‘ve been surprised had captain Cristiano Ronaldo been holding the World Cup trophy aloft on July 19.

Manager Roberto Martínez, who got the job off the back of a dismal campaign with Belgium in Qatar, instead, compromised Portugal’s chances by pandering to their 41-year-old center forward who couldn’t let his dream of matching Lionel Messi’s crowning glory die.

Portugal battered debutants Uzbekistan but struggled to draws against DR Congo and Colombia, thus setting up a daunting knockout stage bracket. A chaotic last 32 match with Croatia was won by Gonçalo Ramos in stoppage time, while Ronaldo was off the pitch, but the Paris Saint-Germain striker didn’t see the field as Spain edged a drab contest with its Iberian neighbors to bring Martínez’s forgettable tenure to an end.

The manager’s unwavering faith in Ronaldo helped undermine a gifted Portugal roster, with Martínez’s dreary tactical ideas also contributing to cautious, cowardly performances against strong opponents.

Christian Pulisic

Christian Pulisic has come under heavy scrutiny in the wake of the USMNT’s last 16 exit at the hands of a determined Belgium team.

Pulisic, long regarded as the country’s talisman, had unfair expectations thrust upon him by an audience that erroneously perceived the spritely forward to rank among the brightest stars on the European soccer scene.

Pulisic has had a few good moments and runs of form in Europe’s premier divisions, building a rather impressive CV, but few AC Milan supporters would’ve thought the USMNT’s No. 10 was primed to dominate on soccer’s grandest stage. He failed to score a single Serie A goal during the second half of last season, having been beset by a hamstring injury in the autumn.

And fitness issues defined Pulisic’s World Cup. The 27-year-old suffered a calf injury two days before the opening game against Paraguay and was forced off early in that match as a result. Pulisic returned off the bench on Matchday 3, and started both of the USMNT’s knockout matches, yet failed to notch a single goal contribution.

He fittingly bowed out after sustaining another injury, this time a microfracture in his leg, having had little to no impact on what was a successful USMNT campaign up until the Folarin Balogun debacle.

"The LeBron James of soccer," he most certainly isn’t.

Last Dances

Neymar Júnior — Neymar barely had an impact. | MB Media/Getty Images

Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls certainly didn’t disappoint in ’98, and we even got an all-time great sports docuseries out of it.

However, we don’t think Netflix will fancy taking up the 2026 World Cup of ’last dances'.

Lionel Messi is carrying the flag for those expected to call it a day at the end of the tournament, with the 39-year-old chasing history with Argentina and his first World Cup Golden Boot.

The rest, though...

The high-profile figures mightily underwhelmed. Luka Modrić was excellent in patches, admittedly, but wasn’t his usual flawless self for a Croatia team that succumbed to a dramatic elimination at the hands of Ronaldo’s Portugal. Speaking of, the 41-year-old scored three times, including his first World Cup knockout stage goal, but only fanatics of the all-time great will have any interest in seeing him on home soil in 2030.

Then there’s Manuel Neuer, who couldn’t prevent Germany’s humiliating penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay, and Neymar Júnior, a controversial inclusion on Brazil’s roster. Neymar arrived at the World Cup injured and was reduced to a couple of appearances off the bench.

The injuries have taken their toll, with the generationally-gifted creator reduced to a rather sorry iteration.

Scotland

Scott McTominay — Scotland was a dull watch. | Patrick Smith/FIFA/Getty Images

It was always going to be a tough ask for Scotland to progress from a group also boasting Brazil and Morocco, but the Tartan Army had an opportunity against Haiti to give themselves the best possible chance of making it through as one of the eight best-performing third-place finishers.

And while Scotland secured its first World Cup win since 1990 by defeating the Haitians, a mere 1–0 victory left them with work to do against the big boys in Group C.

Steve Clarke’s side subsequently offered little by way of invention and craft in a slender defeat to Morocco and a 3–0 loss at the hands of Brazil. Three points and a -3 goal difference weren’t enough, and Clarke walked in the aftermath.

He ranks among Scotland’s most successful managers, yet also departed with a bitter taste in his mouth. The travelling Tartan Army deserved a whole lot more.

Germany

Kai Havertz — Germany even lost on penalties. | Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

An inevitability once surrounded Germany at the World Cup, with the four-time winners so often functioning as the tournament’s Darth Vader. "You can never write off the Germans," we’ve long been told, but it was pretty clear early on that Julian Nagelsmann’s team wasn’t going to achieve all that much this summer.

Flaws were evident even in Germany’s 7–1 drubbing of debutants Curaçao on Matchday 1, and the frailties within Nagelsmann’s framework came to light further down the line.

While Die Mannschaft avoided a third-successive group stage elimination, they’re still without a knockout stage win since the 2014 final. VAR denied them an undeserved victory over Paraguay in extra time, with a first-ever World Cup penalty shootout defeat the just reward for an insipid 120-minute display bereft of speed and innovation.

German soccer is at another crossroads, and Jürgen Klopp is the man tasked with igniting another reboot.

FIFA-Led Controversies

“We will restore the image of FIFA,” newly-elected president Gianni Infantino confidently asserted in 2016, after soccer’s worldwide governing body was brought to its knees in the wake of a corruption scandal.

Infantino once symbolized hope, with plenty believing that the somewhat charming Italian would distance FIFA from its lowest ebb and, as he put it, “restore” the organization’s reputation on the global stage.

However, FIFA’s main man has proven to be no different from those who came before him, responsible for turning soccer’s governing body into a despicable mess. Controversies have laced the 2026 World Cup, with plenty of them FIFA’s doing.

The tone was set when World Cup ticket prices opened at unprecedented costs last fall, requiring fans to dish out thousands for a seat.Cristiano Ronaldo then had a ban suspended so he could play in Portugal’s first two games of the tournament.

Harsh conditions have allowed FIFA to introduce hydration breaks to appease sponsors, shifting a game of two halves into four quarters, while Infantino’s cozying up to U.S. President Donald Trump helped facilitate the greatest controversy of the tournament, when Folarin Balogun had a one-match ban suspended so he could play in the USMNT‘s round of 16 clash against Belgium.

There’s a sense that FIFA has been making up the rules as it goes along, and it risked losing control of the World Cup after the Balogun debacle.

Carlo Ancelotti

France and Spain were the popular pre-tournament picks, with Brazil, so often the favorite, fancied by far fewer this time around.

However, those who backed the Seleção to repeat their North American heroics from 1994 did so for one reason: Carlo Ancelotti.

Brazil’s roster underwhelmed, and its flaws became apparent on Matchday 1 against Morocco. Still, those who backed the five-time winners assumed their great Italian coach would just find a way to make it work.

Emphatic victories over Haiti and Scotland inspired confidence, and Brazil’s turnaround in the last 32 against Japan was largely down to Ancelotti’s in-game changes. Thus, when his team was locked at 0–0 with Norway heading into the final half-hour, plenty thought the stoic in Brazil’s dugout would once again offer the necessary solutions to facilitate a victory.

This time, though, Ancelotti hindered his team. An immobile Neymar was trusted, limiting Brazil’s pressing, and control was sapped from its midfield when Bruno Guimarães made way. The Seleção finally had legs in the middle of the park, but no one who could retain possession. Norway took the ball away from Brazil’s artists and asserted dominance on its way to a 2–1 victory thanks to Erling Haaland’s brace.

Brazil wasn’t ever going to win a sixth World Cup this summer, but its manager cost the team dearly in the round of 16.

Son Heung-min

South Korea offered far too much hope in its Matchday 1 victory over Czechia, performing with a swagger in possession that rendered it “neutral’s favorite” material.

Son Heung-min has been the heartbeat of his national team for the best part of a decade. No South Korean has earned more international caps thean Son, who entered the World Cup just two goals behind Chu Bum-kun’s record haul of 58.

Usurping Bum-kun must’ve been on Son’s mind this summer, even if he’d endured a barren run in front of goal in Major League Soccer (MLS). However, it seems as if Son’s superpower has been sapped. The great xG (expected goals) defier is no more. Here, he failed to score from an xG haul of 1.05 (highest without scoring at the World Cup), per Opta. Just one of his seven shots was on target, and his xG per shot (0.15) ranks third-highest at the tournament.

South Korea drew blanks in defeats to Mexico and South Africa and was thus elminated in the group stage. Manager Hong Myung-bo was chastised and scapegoated, but he might’ve been okay had his superstar forward not misplaced his shooting boots this summer.

VAR Inconsistencies

VAR big screen — Always a talking point. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

The group stage attracted little officiating controversy, but the knockouts, with the increased jeopardy and all, have allowed refereeing decisions to take center stage. As you might expect, plenty have attributed their anger and disappointment to the erroneous calls made by referees.

Cries of conspiracy are baseless, laden with irrational emotion, but there has been reason to be mightily frustrated with how VAR has operated this summer.

Argentina has been a particular beneficiary of the technology this summer, with Lionel Messi avoiding red for a challenge that every single other player competing at the World Cup would’ve been sent off for. Egypt found itself on the other end in the round of 16 match. Mostafa Ziko had a brilliant goal, primarily because of the work that came before the finish, ruled out for a foul (which it probably was) 17 seconds before the Pharaohs doubled their lead.

England had a penalty chalked off in its quarterfinal win over Norway for a foul that warranted a red card on the opening day of the tournament, and the high threshold directive for overturning on-field decisions generally hasn’t been adhered to.

Typically, even those desperate to see the back of VAR appreciate the efficiency of its utilization at major tournaments, but few have been lavish in their praise of the technology this summer. It’s once again been a talking point, and that’s never a good thing.

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