The President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Yasser Al-Misehal, submitted his resignation from his position, after the "Green" team exited the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, announcing that he bears the responsibility of not qualifying for the round of 32 and being content with only two points in his group.

"I, my fellow board members, have done everything we can to serve Saudi football, and we have sincerely sought to achieve the aspirations of our country and our fans, but the failure of our national team to qualify for the next round of the World Cup is a result that does not meet the ambitions of all of us, and I take full responsibility for it, and I apologize to everyone who hoped to see our team in a better position," he wrote on his account on X.

"Convinced that responsibility requires the opportunity for a new phase, I have decided not to continue until the end of the current cycle," he added.

The Saudi national team started its campaign in the North American World Cup with a 1-1 draw with Uruguay, but lost by a big score to Spain (0-4) in the second round.

They needed to beat Cape Verde in the third round to qualify, but were content with a negative draw that saw their rivals compete for the first time in their history as runners-up to Spain in Group H.

Saudi Arabia, which hosts the World Cup in 2034, hoped to skip the group stage for the second time after the 1994 World Cup in the United States, but failed to make it its seventh appearance.

Saudi Arabia is scheduled to host the 2027 AFC Asian Cup and the 2027 Gulf Cup, leading up to the 2034 World Cup, and the Saudi league has attracted many stars of the game since 2023, led by Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, France's Karim Benzema, and Brazil's Neymar.

South Korea coach resigns after World Cup failure

The number of coaches who left their teams during the 2026 FIFA World Cup has risen to three, after South Korea coach Hong Myung-boo announced on Sunday (June 28th) his resignation following his team's exit from the tournament.

Hong announced his decision during a press conference at the national team's camp in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, after South Korea's failure to qualify for the round of 32 was confirmed among the top eight teams that finished third in the group stage.

"I would like to sincerely apologize to the citizens who loved Korean football and always supported the national team. Today, I would like to step down as head coach of the South Korean national football team."

"I thought my only task was to fulfill my responsibility until the end, but I failed to deliver the results that the audience expected, and the full responsibility falls on me," Hong said.

South Korean President: Regulatory Failures

The resignation came hours after South Korean President Lee Jae-myung criticized the team's performance, saying the failure to qualify was "due to organizational and human failures", and called on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to investigate the causes of what happened and put in place measures to prevent its recurrence.

It is noteworthy that Hong, a former international defender who played 136 games in his country's national team, took over as South Korea coach in 2024 from Germany's Jurgen Klinsmann, with a contract that extends until the 2027 Asian Cup, after leading the team to an eleventh consecutive World Cup qualification.

The Korean team entered the tournament amid expectations of reaching the knockout stages, in light of its presence of prominent stars led by Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, and Kim Min-jae.

The team started its campaign with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic, before losing to host Mexico and South Africa, to await the results of the other groups in the hope of qualifying among the top third-place finishers, but this did not materialize.

Hong Myung-bo became the third coach to leave his national team during the 2026 World Cup, after French-Tunisian Sabri Lemouchi, who left the coaching of the Tunisian national team, and Steve Clarke, who ended his career with the Scotland national team.