CORNERFLICK
The 2026 World Cup has reached its closing stages, with France, Spain, Argentina and England left in the race for the final, but several of football’s biggest names have already gone out. Germany, Brazil, Portugal and the Netherlands were among the higher-profile sides to exit earlier than expected.
Cristiano Ronaldo ended his World Cup career after Portugal’s 1-0 defeat by Spain in the last 16. The Portugal captain still set records, including scoring at six consecutive World Cups and becoming the oldest scorer in knockout-stage history, but he never lifted the one major trophy missing from his career.
Vinícius Júnior also fell short of carrying Brazil through. Brazil lost 2-1 to Norway in the last 16, with Vinícius finishing as the team’s leading player on four goals and one assist.
Bruno Fernandes struggled to make a decisive impact for Portugal, while rumours of tension with Ronaldo drew a negative reaction from some supporters. Riyad Mahrez scored twice against Austria but could not take Algeria beyond the last 16, and Achraf Hakimi helped Morocco to the quarter-finals before a poor final display. Omar Marmoush reached the last 16 with Egypt for the first time, yet failed to score in five matches and later lost his place in the team.