International football management is a notoriously cutthroat business. While many associations wait until a tournament concludes to dissect failure, some reach a boiling point far sooner.
In the high-stakes pressure cooker of the FIFA World Cup, federations have occasionally pulled the trigger prematurely—sacking managers during or immediately on the eve of the tournament.
Whether driven by a sudden breakdown in trust, dressing-room mutinies, or disastrous opening games, these mid-World Cup sackings remain some of the most dramatic flashpoints in football history.
1. Julen Lopetegui (Spain, 2018)
Perhaps the most infamous modern sacking occurred in 2018, just 48 hours before Spain was scheduled to play their opening World Cup match against Portugal in Russia.
