The Everton curse? Three former Toffees' bosses suffer identical World Cup fate
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Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 10.07.26. | 18:53
Roberto Martinez, Carlo Ancelotti and Ronald Koeman have all seen their World Cup dreams end in the Round of 16 with different national teams
Football thrives on odd twists of fate, and this World Cup has spun another, starring three well-known figures from Everton’s not-so-distant history.
Three managers, three nations, yet all sharing the same World Cup heartbreak.
Just seen the best stat of the World Cup. That 5 of the top 8 ranked teams going into the World Cup have made it to the last 8, and the 3 who didnt are managed by Ex Everton managers. Fucking cursed we are
— Barto (@_barto1) July 9, 2026
Roberto Martinez, Carlo Ancelotti and Ronald Koeman, each once at the helm of the now-deserted Goodison Park, watched their World Cup dreams dissolve at the same hurdle: the Round of 16.
The 52-year-old, who guided the Toffees from 2013 to 2016, steered Portugal into the knockouts, escaping a Round of 32 exit thanks to Goncalo Ramos' late heroics against Croatia, only to fall 1-0 to Spain.
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Martinez found himself under the spotlight as one of the main culprits of Portugal’s underwhelming run, sharing the blame with Cristiano Ronaldo, whose continued presence may have weighed down the team. Rather than changing course, Martinez put his faith in the 41-year-old striker, only to see his Portuguese adventure end in frustration. Before this, after his Goodison Park days, he led Belgium’s so-called ‘golden generation’ to a third-place finish in 2018.
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Ronald Koeman, who took over at Everton from Martinez for a single season, met a similar fate at this World Cup. His Netherlands side bowed out in the last-16, falling to Morocco in a tense penalty shootout, prompting Koeman's resignation after the heartbreak.
Finally, Ancelotti rounded off this peculiar hat-trick for Everton’s ex-managers with Brazil. The Italian, who occupied the Toffees' dugout from 2019 to 2021, stands apart from Martinez and Koeman as the only one still steering his national team forward.
Despite the sting of a last-16 defeat to Norway, the 67-year-old Ancelotti is tipped to remain at the helm, with hopes of redemption in four years and a Copa America on the horizon. The tale of the Everton curse will, however, probably live on.
WORLD CUP - KNOCKOUT STAGE
Quarter-finals
Thursday
France - Morocco 2-0 (0-0)
/Mbappe 60, Dembele 66/
Friday
22.00: (1.65) Spain (4.00) Belgium (5.50)
Sunday
00.00: (4.00) Norway (3.70) England (1.90)
04.00: (1.75) Argentina (3.50) Switzerland (5.50)
***odds are subject to change***