Steve Clarke signed a new four-year contract to continue as Scotland manager just months before the 2026 World Cup got underway. Now, he’s sensationally quit his position after failing to lead his country out of the groups.Scotland’s elimination was confirmed by Croatia’s win over Ghana on Saturday, which meant it would not be one of the eighth-best third-place finishers. It had all started promisingly, as Scotland beat Haiti 1–0, but it soon became apparent that the narrow scoreline may come back to Clarke’s side with Morocco and Brazil still to play.Defeats were perhaps expected against those two and were duly delivered, but the manner in which Scotland lost 3–0 to Brazil was of grave concern. Careless mistakes gifted the Seleção two of its goals, damaging the Scots’ goal difference immeasurably.“The most emotional part of this goodbye is for my players, without whom we wouldn’t have had any of the memories that we’ve accumulated from 2019 until now,” Clarke’s emotional resignation statement read. “They deserve all the praise and adulation that they receive and it was truly an honor to be called their Gaffer.“Thanks for having me and good luck to my successor.”Clarke Falls on His Sword After Historic AchievementAndy Robertson admitted Scotland had not been good enough. | Ian MacNicol/Getty Images Where it all went wrong for Scotland will be analyzed and scrutinized to death in the coming days.But one thing that shouldn’t be forgotten is how Clarke led this iteration of Scotland to its first World Cup finals appearance in 28 years. An unforgettable night against Denmark at Hampden Park was the crowning glory of years of work after Clarke was appointed in 2019, and he leaves as Scotland’s longest-serving manager having overseen 81 games.Clarke was at a loss for words after Scotland’s defeat to Brazil, storming off from his television interview with the BBC, and he’s cut a visibly dejected figure on the touchline after failing to get the most out of his players on the biggest stage of all.“In certain moments, we let ourselves down tonight,” Scotland’s Andy Robertson, now of Tottenham Hotspur, said after the defeat to Brazil. “At times, we were comfortable on the ball and got ourselves into dangerous areas. But against these teams, we cannot afford to make the mistakes we were making.”Aston Villa captain John McGinn shared Robertson’s assessment of things, conceding, “If you don’t take care of the ball in the big moments and you make mistakes, you get punished—that’s club or international football."Clarke Not First to Exit After World Cup DisappointmentCompete against the world. | SPORTS ILLUSTRATEDClarke has at least seen Scotland’s campaign through until the end—that’s not something that Tunisia manager Sabri Lamouchi was afforded the luxury of after a 5–1 mauling at the hands of Sweden. He was unceremoniously fired and replace by the suave Hervé Renard, though he fared no better in his first match in charge as Japan ran out 4–0 winners.Uruguay’s Marcelo Bielsa is also departing his post after an early World Cup exit. The two-time World Cup winner finished third in Group H, behind Spain and Cabo Verde, and its dismal showing prompted the legendary Bielsa to lose his cool while preparing for a postmatch interview—not the first time the eccentric manager, who often sits on a coolbox on the touchline, has left onlookers aghast.READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow