The Worst Performances of the 2026 World Cup (So Far)

10 Worst Performances of the 2026 World Cup (So Far)

The World Cup is normally where you see the very best of people. However, sometimes you also see the very worst. Today, we will be looking at some of the worst performances of the World Cup so far this summer.

The Referees

It is the biggest tournament in the world, so you would expect to have the best referees in the world, right? Well, it looks like FIFA might not have got the memo. Some of the refereeing performances have been very questionable.

Let's start with some of the smaller moments. In Portugal vs Croatia, the game was levelled in the 94th minute as Croatia finally saw another attack pay off. However, according to a slight spike on the Snickometer, the ball had touched a player's head, and the goal was ruled out for offside. This sparked a massive debate across social media.

We then move on to the stonewall penalty France were denied against Senegal. It is still unbelievable that it was not given. There was clear contact on Mbappé by Mané, yet somehow, even after an on-field review, the penalty was denied.

However, France would somehow experience an even worse refereeing performance than that. In the Round of 16, they faced Paraguay. After the first half, most people forgot they were watching football and thought they had accidentally switched on MMA. Paraguay were not there to play football; they looked like they simply wanted to hurt France. Yet somehow, France ended up receiving the yellow cards. Paraguay did not receive a single one. Somehow, people who had bets on both teams receiving a yellow card still lost. Unbelievable.

Messi from the Spot

We must be specific here. While Lionel Messi has broken the all-time World Cup goalscoring record, something has not clicked from the penalty spot.

He missed a penalty against Austria. Fine, everyone misses one occasionally. Surely, he would not do it again. Then, in the 21st minute against Egypt, his penalty was saved once more.

That is now two consecutive penalty misses for Messi. What has happened? Did he use up all his penalties during the 2022 World Cup?

Portugal's Midfield

You go into a World Cup with a midfield containing two Champions League winners and the player who broke the Premier League's all-time assist record. You should dominate games, right?

Well, Roberto Martínez had other ideas. They simply never clicked. Vitinha spent most of the group stage playing sideways passes and looking good for the statistics. Bruno Fernandes looked scared to attempt risky passes, while João Neves looked like a shadow of himself. With the exception of the game against Uzbekistan, they failed to control a single match.

They underperformed throughout the tournament and, overall, had an awful World Cup.

The Politicians

There will always be a debate over whether politics and sport should mix. However, that never stops politicians from sharing their opinions.

Let's start with the slightly less controversial example. Donald Trump showed his very limited knowledge of football after Folarin Balogun was sent off. He claimed that suspending Balogun for the match against Belgium would ruin the game. Somehow, Gianni Infantino agreed and overturned the suspension.

Wanting to be involved in a World Cup that your country is hosting is one thing, but effectively helping one of your players avoid punishment is something entirely different. Trump did not come out of this situation looking good, and karma quickly struck back, as even with Balogun available, the USA lost 4-1.

However, someone else had a moment that made Trump look insignificant by comparison.

Madame Celeste.

What can you even say? Let's start with the comments she made about Mbappé. They were disgusting, vile, hateful, and completely unacceptable. Saying she should lose her role as a senator is putting it lightly. It was a truly awful display and a terrible representation of her country.

Madame Celeste Amarilla,
Vous êtes une femme méprisable et indigne de sa fonction.
Vous ne représentez pas le Paraguay, ce pays qui a transpiré la passion et l’honneur tout au long de la compétition. Par votre inconscience et votre racisme décomplexé, le monde entier a déjà… pic.twitter.com/EnYmgQXvPL

— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) July 6, 2026

Sithole vs Mexico

We now go back to the opening game of the tournament.

Sithole stepped onto the pitch for his first-ever World Cup match. It should have been a moment he remembered for the rest of his life. Instead, the dream quickly turned into a nightmare.

With 49 minutes on the clock, one costly mistake led to a goal before he was shown a straight red card. It was, unfortunately, an awful performance and one he struggled to recover from. That single game remains one of the poorest individual displays we have seen at this World Cup.

Gianni Infantino

From listening to demands coming from the White House to seemingly declaring his support for Argentina, Gianni Infantino has not covered himself in glory.

Let's begin with the most controversial decision of the tournament. Overturning Balogun's suspension.

In the USA's Round of 32 match, Balogun received a straight red card, and it was widely accepted that it was the correct decision. However, some well-known "football experts" in the White House disagreed. They reportedly contacted Infantino directly, and after a quick review, the suspension was overturned. That alone was bad enough.

He then made matters worse after Argentina's match against Cape Verde. During an interview, he said that he sent hugs and kisses to everyone in Argentina and that when Argentina suffered, he suffered too. He was also quick to insist that he remained "neutral."

🚨 FIFA President Gianni Infantino on the Argentina vs Cape Verde game:

⚽️🏃‍♂️"Hugs and kisses to everyone in Argentina, we all love you. ❤️🇦🇷 When Argentina suffers I suffer, 😫💔 so we're happy with the result. 🕺✨ But I'm neutral 🧘‍♂️🤷‍♂️" pic.twitter.com/YD5CjnhtL8

— ApexFii 🇺🇸🇬🇭 (@fiifi_gh) July 4, 2026

It certainly did not sound like it.

A very poor showing from the FIFA president.

Paraguay vs France

Physical football can be entertaining. Strong tackles, committed defending, and fierce battles are all part of the game.

However, what Paraguay produced against France went far beyond that. It might as well have moved from the football pitch into the Octagon. Kicks and elbows were flying throughout the game, which is never something fans want to see. It made for an uncomfortable watch and ruined what should have been an entertaining match.

It also destroyed any neutral support Paraguay had earned after their famous victory over Germany. They were no longer viewed as a well-organised side defending like warriors. Instead, they looked like a team more interested in hurting and injuring their opponents.

It was one of the worst performances we have seen at this World Cup so far.