The 2026 World Cup Failure Report: Grading the Big Exits

[bobogggwu]

Soccer is mathematically a game of failure; at this World Cup, teams failed to score on roughly 98% of their possessions. With the field narrowing, 47 of the 48 teams will leave disappointed. Not all failures are identical, so we graded the most notable recent exits on an A-to-F scale based on performance versus expectations.

The Dynamic Disasters

🇵🇹 Portugal: F

A catastrophic squandering of an elite roster. Manager Roberto Martínez completely compromised a prime, world-class midfield and defense to accommodate a 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo. The icon slowed down every transition, registering zero non-penalty goals outside of a match against low-ranked Uzbekistan.

🇧🇷 Brazil: D-

Managed by Carlo Ancelotti, the Seleção completely abandoned their footballing identity. They were shockingly out-possessed by Norway (630 passes to 298) and bowed out without showing a cohesive style or leaving any memorable mark on the tournament.

🇺🇸 United States: C

The USMNT easily suffocated weaker teams early on, but completely imploded in a 4-1 blowout against an aging, beatable Belgium squad missing Kevin De Bruyne. Falling apart systematically on home soil made this exit incredibly alarming.

[Eminoltd1]

The icon slowed down every transition, registering zero non-penalty goals outside of a match against low-ranked Uzbekistan 

[BlueRoll78]

It's wild how high expectations can lead to such big disappointments! Portugal's exit was definitely heartbreaking, especially with that star-studded lineup.

[CryptoPulse]

Interesting breakdown! It’s wild how the weight of expectations can crush teams, especially with such talent on display. The USMNT really needs to step it up moving forward!

[Meriaean]

Brazil's exxit reminded me of my parlay dying at the last leg.