The most recent is the Czech Koubek… 4 coaches are paying the price for failure in the World Cup sports

The circle of resignations expanded during the 2026 World Cup after the coach of the South Korean national team, Hong Myung-bo, announced his resignation from his position following his country’s exit from the tournament, before he was joined by the coach of the Czech national team, Miroslav Kubik, who ended his job after his team’s disappointing performance in the group stage.

Thus, the number of coaches who left their teams during the tournament rose to four, after the departure of Tunisia’s coach Sabri Lamouchi, Scotland’s coach Steve Clarke, then Hong Myung-bo, and finally Miroslav Kubik.

Hong Myung-bo announced his decision during a press conference held at the national team’s camp in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, after it was confirmed that the South Korean national team failed to qualify for the round of 32 among the best eight teams that ranked third in the group stage.

The Korean coach was keen to send a message of apology to his country’s fans, saying: “I would like to sincerely apologize to the citizens who loved Korean football and always supported the national team.”

He also admitted that he bore full responsibility for the failure, stressing: “I thought that my only mission was to fulfill the responsibility entrusted to me until the end, but I failed to achieve the results that the public expected, and the responsibility falls entirely on me.”

Presidential criticism and upcoming investigation

The resignation announcement came a few hours after South Korean President Lee Jae-myung criticized the team’s performance, saying that the failure to reach the next round was the result of organizational and human failures.

The President called on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to open a comprehensive investigation to find out the reasons for the failure, and to establish procedures to prevent the recurrence of what happened in future participations.

Hong Myung-bo took over as coach of the South Korean national team in 2024, succeeding German coach Jurgen Klinsmann, with a contract extending until the 2027 Asian Cup, after he succeeded in leading the national team to the eleventh consecutive qualification to the World Cup finals.

The Korean national team entered the tournament with great expectations of reaching the knockout rounds, relying on a group of its most prominent stars, led by Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, and Kim Min-jae.

The team began its journey by defeating the Czech team with a score of 2-1, before suffering two successive losses to host Mexico, then South Africa, to wait for the results of the rest of the groups in the hope of qualifying among the best third-place finishers, but those hopes officially evaporated.

The Czech Republic joins the list of the departed

The wave of resignations was not limited to the Korean national team, as Miroslav Kubik announced his resignation from coaching the Czech national team following the early exit from the World Cup, after a performance that sparked widespread criticism from the national team’s fans.

The veteran coach’s decision came after his team lost 3-0 to Mexico in the final round of the group stage, placing it last in Group A with only one point, collected from a draw against South Africa.

Kubiak attributed the reasons for his departure to several factors, most notably the mistakes committed by the team and the stress resulting from heavy movement during the tournament.

He said in his statement: “A media campaign based on a number of half-truths and slanders directed against me also contributed to my decision. In light of this atmosphere, my work with the Czech national team no longer has any meaning.”

The 74-year-old coach also pointed out that easy mistakes and fatigue resulting from extensive travel played a prominent role in the team’s exit from the tournament.

Kubik took over as coach of the Czech national team after a surprise loss in the qualifiers against the Faroe Islands, but he succeeded in leading the team through the playoff matches to reach the World Cup finals for the first time since 2006.

During the tournament, the team relied on the same group that achieved qualification, led by defender Ladislav Krajci and midfielder Pavel Schulz, as they are among the main pillars of the team.

During the tournament, Kubik was subjected to great criticism due to the defensive approach he adopted in the matches, and his decision to leave striker Patrik Schick on the bench during the match against Mexico aroused the dissatisfaction of the fans and the media, especially after the heavy loss that ended the team’s campaign in the tournament.