Germany has been woeful at the World Cup ever since winning it in 2014. Brazil is another giant who has fallen on hard times, being unable to win the World Cup since 2002. In fact, for the first time in the history of the World Cup, neither of those countries managed to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament. One of them usually made it that far, but this year is where it ended.
Germany was eliminated via a penalty shootout in the Round of 32 to Paraguay, while Brazil was sent home by Erling Haaland and Norway.
Germany and Brazil are two of the “usual suspects” when it comes to the World Cup. Either team was making a deep run and by the time their run in the tournament ends they can say they did their best. It’s kind of the same in 2026 but the difference is: their best wasn’t good enough.
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- New, improved notifications system!
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
