Is European soccer on decline? Many big names facing elimination in early rounds

[KTChampions]

I went to wikipedia to check which countries are presented on this tournament, and among 48 teams, 16 are European. Nearly each third team is European. When they get eleminated during group stage and knockout stage, it is more noticeable that European teams are either going further or end their participation, while rest are completely World mix. To knockout stage 11 European countries have advanced among 32 countries. So far same 1/3 are Europeans. So I cant say there is a great decline for European soccer.

I think we need to look at teams' results and where their players play. It's obvious that the strongest and most successful teams primarily have players who play in Europe. It's unlikely that any country without a large number of players from European leagues can even hope to win anything.
Secondly, you can look at the bookmakers' opinions – they currently believe a European team has a 70% chance of winning the championship. Not bad for a group of only a third of all teams, right?

[Bitcoin_Budha]

Yesterday I watched both games England vs. Congo and then Belgium vs. Senegal. Both times the losing teams were doing an impressive job and had a fair chance of winning matches, but sadly they were not able to keep balance and lost in the same way, both conceding 2 goals each in the last minutes, which broke many hearts.

From these games we can understand now African teams are doing a good job and have enough potential, but they need more time to have their best. Now Morocco is the only team in the round of 16. I am expecting Egypt could be the second team, but this is not easy because Aussies are also at their best, but again, it's heartbreaking from 9 to just 1 or 2, especially after games like they lost last night.

[Porfirii]

Yesterday I watched both games England vs. Congo and then Belgium vs. Senegal. Both times the losing teams were doing an impressive job and had a fair chance of winning matches, but sadly they were not able to keep balance and lost in the same way, both conceding 2 goals each in the last minutes, which broke many hearts.

From these games we can understand now African teams are doing a good job and have enough potential, but they need more time to have their best. Now Morocco is the only team in the round of 16. I am expecting Egypt could be the second team, but this is not easy because Aussies are also at their best, but again, it's heartbreaking from 9 to just 1 or 2, especially after games like they lost last night.

I also consider it sad, but it was expectable (perhaps with some other exceptions, due to pure randomness such as penalty rounds, but even so). Especially because I believe that the enthusiasm and passion of many of the fans of these national teams surpasses, or at least that's my impression, the already very high of those of other great teams with more experience in the World Cup and greater chances of victory.

I definitely agree with you when you say that they need more time, but I hope some of them will make it in future decades.

[giorgione]

You don't have to worry about how so many big countries that are known for professional football players are losing their position to elimination which is not fair at all. I don't blame anyone for that but it's a must a team have to be eliminated depending on their performance on the pitch. I have the optimism that France may end up winning the 2026 world cup if their composure on the pitch is undefeated.

France could really easily win the World Cup and everyone knows this, they won't have too many problems, its an ambition that they must always pursue because if they have the chance to win the cup they must insist, and i don't think that the performance of individuals can save a team, at least not always.

[$weetne$$]

European soccer does not seem to be facing any decline like you are saying,  this is a competition where some teams has got to be eliminated for the others to continue and enable  for determination of a winner,  African sides are suffering elimination too , I mean if all these teams do not get eliminated,  who then will.

There is still quite a good number of European teams in the competition,  it is only but a football norm expected to happen that is happening and not like  there is some sort of different thing happening.

[bitgolden]

I do agree that people are overreacting, this isn't really that much of a big deal that one world cup suddenl ysaw european teams do not do well. I am pretty sure that a european team will win, either france or argentina will win so therei s a big chance it could be a european team yet again.

Doesn't mean that other continents are bad, of course Africa is doing very good for example but that doesn't mean that we are going to see African team win yet, it is not there. Also, this is just one world cup, yes we have seen Europeans not do well, but who knows maybe it was just a fluke and next world cup they will do great.

[Smartprofit]

European soccer does not seem to be facing any decline like you are saying,  this is a competition where some teams has got to be eliminated for the others to continue and enable  for determination of a winner,  African sides are suffering elimination too , I mean if all these teams do not get eliminated,  who then will.

There is still quite a good number of European teams in the competition,  it is only but a football norm expected to happen that is happening and not like  there is some sort of different thing happening.

Spain and France haven't left the World Cup yet. 😉 They're still playing, still scoring goals, and are still the most likely winners of the World Cup (unless, of course, Brazil and Argentina are stronger).

Therefore, personally, I wouldn't talk about a crisis in European football. With more teams participating in the 2026 World Cup than ever before, the game has become more unpredictable. As a result, several strong European teams lost to their opponents. However, the strongest European teams are still battling for the top spot.

Personally, I'm betting on Spain to win because the French team has too much ambition and individualism among its young players. It's a good thing this isn't a fencing competition, and they weren't given foils! Otherwise, they probably would have stabbed each other! The ambition and arrogance of young players, in my opinion, could seriously harm the success of the French football team. 🤷

[Iranus]

I do agree that people are overreacting, this isn't really that much of a big deal that one world cup suddenl ysaw european teams do not do well. I am pretty sure that a european team will win, either france or argentina will win so therei s a big chance it could be a european team yet again.

Doesn't mean that other continents are bad, of course Africa is doing very good for example but that doesn't mean that we are going to see African team win yet, it is not there. Also, this is just one world cup, yes we have seen Europeans not do well, but who knows maybe it was just a fluke and next world cup they will do great.

Argentina is not a European team. It is a South American team. So if Argentina or Brazil wins, it will not be a European victory. Among the current strong teams in Europe, France and Spain are ahead.

Those of us who follow club football all year round usually watch various European leagues. Serie A is held in Italy. It is a fiercely competitive league. But Italy could not qualify for the World Cup. Bundesliga is held in Germany. Germany has also already been eliminated. We have also seen the England team fight hard. However, our expectations from these teams were much higher.

[aipercoin]

I wouldn't say European football is in decline. it's worth noting improved level of many other national teams, particularly African ones. many leading players from African, South and North American national teams are playing in the top, highly competitive European leagues. thus, they are improving their level and the level of their national teams which are now competing almost on equal terms with Germany, England and other football giants.

But European football is in decline, children no longer dream of becoming footballers like they used to, they are no longer hungry.
I could say that other countries have begun to show children that footballers live well, eat and live comfortably, children dream and work hard and new talents are thus born.

[famososMuertos]

The question is: are all European national teams really that good at the World Cup? The short answer is no.

The reality is that, at club level, Europe is on another level (far ahead of everyone else.) But at the national team level, that dominance doesn't translate in the same way because so much of the quality is concentrated in club football.

It's a decline that has been happening for years, and South America's dominance isn't even greater simply because there are only two truly elite teams that consistently deliver: Argentina and Brazil, followed by Uruguay. So that's three. Then there's Colombia, a team that's always expected to make the next step but somehow stagnates. They're experiencing something similar to what we've just seen from teams like Senegal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially Senegal. They lack that extra edge; that winning mentality. That teams like Brazil and Argentina seem to possess.

Hopefully that changes in this World Cup, but this isn't Colombia's strongest generation. You could argue that their best squad was the 2014 one, or even go further back to the teams of the 1990s.

If it weren't for the footballing innocence of some African nations and teams like Colombia and Uruguay, several European national teams wouldn't have as many World Cups in their trophy cabinets.

[suzanne5223]

Italy, Denmark, and Serbia are out of this World Cup. After them, Turkey and the Czech Republic are out of action in group stage games. Their performances were not as expected and last night Germany and the Netherlands also facing surprising eliminations from the round of 32 on penalties.

In upcoming games, a few teams are also going to face possible elimination with this level of performance.
Now, it looks like European soccer is facing serious troubles.

Even there are plenty of teams are still in and have a good chance of winning the title like France, England, and Spain but I started to have a strong feeling like soccer in Europe is facing miserable problems with African countries dominating along with South American countries.
 
What are your thoughts on this?

I believe we see reason why this yer world cup perfromnce from the country you mentioned, while there was an interesting performance from countries we dont expect (especialy the africa) was triggered by the statement made by Gennaro Gattuso last year, when he criticized during the World Cup qualifiers in November that Africa was given "too many World Cup spots" that "Africa does not deserve all these spots it is given in the World Cup"
So, i think the African nations came prepared to prove him wrong.

[Davidvictorson]

What are your thoughts on this?

My thoughts on this is that unlike in previous World Cup tournaments, the European teams have less stars in their squad and playmakers. To put it another way, let’s give them another 10 more years for stars to rise just like they used to be in the past.

[KiaKia]

It's a fight to the last finish, what do you expect? Some team will fail to progress as time goes on, it doesn't mean that they are bad players it's all about luck even though they are the ones playing, it's not easy.

I don't see any small clue that European soccer is declining in a bit, the struggles is very real, and so far they have given their best performance.

This is world cup and it's too early to feel or say that a country is going to win because they are performing better, you will be shocked how some not so performing country can do if they manage to get to semi final or final.

[letteredhub]

Italy, Denmark, and Serbia are out of this World Cup. After them, Turkey and the Czech Republic are out of action in group stage games. Their performances were not as expected and last night Germany and the Netherlands also facing surprising eliminations from the round of 32 on penalties.

In upcoming games, a few teams are also going to face possible elimination with this level of performance.
Now, it looks like European soccer is facing serious troubles.

Even there are plenty of teams are still in and have a good chance of winning the title like France, England, and Spain but I started to have a strong feeling like soccer in Europe is facing miserable problems with African countries dominating along with South American countries.
 
What are your thoughts on this?

Most of the countries you mentioned here aren't renowned football nation hence their elimination isn't something to be surprised about, on the flip side, countries like France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Croatia, England all made it through and they deserved it because they played good football, though most of these teams might still be knocked out in the next rounds but the bottom line here is that not all of these European teams mentioned here are strong on the pitch.

[nikola22]

I love the development of football on these continents, especially Africa. Now, quite a few countries are participating from there, and their strength shouldn't be underestimated. Morocco and Senegal are the main forces representing Africa, and one of them could potentially go far. There are quite a few quality players from Africa. Unfortunately, Nigeria, which should have participated due to its strong squad, couldn't represent Africa.

many players from the Moroccan and Senegalese national teams are already playing for well-known European clubs. now many people have seen how little-known players from the DR Congo, Cape Verde and other national teams are trying to show themselves and playing decent football. I think many of the players from these teams will attract the interest of some top European clubs and mid-table ones. I agree about the Nigerian national team; they usually have talented players and I would like to see them at the World Cup.

[Myleschetty]

I wouldn't say European football is in decline. it's worth noting improved level of many other national teams, particularly African ones. many leading players from African, South and North American national teams are playing in the top, highly competitive European leagues. thus, they are improving their level and the level of their national teams which are now competing almost on equal terms with Germany, England and other football giants.

But European football is in decline, children no longer dream of becoming footballers like they used to, they are no longer hungry.
I could say that other countries have begun to show children that footballers live well, eat and live comfortably, children dream and work hard and new talents are thus born.

You're correct that most European children have safety nets, so they don't view football as their only means of escaping poverty, which is why they don't have a desire to play football. This explains why the European team is having black immigrants lately, and only white people who consider football to be a pastime play it.
That does not, however, imply that European football is dying; rather, it simply becomes softer and less competitive.

[Satofan44]

I think there are several factors at play. Take the example of Italian football, the national team that failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row.
The Italian Football Federation has money but no clear plan and vision on how to get Italian football out of its long-standing crisis.
Italian club football is also in a major crisis of play and results.
The leaders of the game are foreign players and young players are not properly prepared and do not get the opportunity to play in clubs and the national team.
Italian football is too slow and boring.
German football is practically reduced to 1 club, Bayern, Dutch football is also in crisis, etc.
All this is reflected in the European national teams when they enter the world stage, the world championship.
With the exception of France and Spain, European football cannot compete with the best teams in the world.

Your explanation is good, but it is more a description of things that are happening which is leading to the crisis on the World stage. My interest would be to find out why this is happening in those individual countries, because it is happening in several countries at the same time. It has nothing to do with massive immigration and illegals right, culture loss is a good thing I've been told by the globalists? I would take it that it has at least in part something to do with that because the countries that are winning have more coherent cultures and no massive immigration from incompatible cultures, but it may be a small part of the equation -- I'd be interested to read if there is somewhere a good analysis on these issues. The players use to play with their heart and love for their country, now it is primarily because of money and most of them are not even natives or don't give a shit for the country in which they are playing football. That must play some part too.

Europe is really turning into shit from literally every aspect.

[Odusko]

I wouldn't say European football is in decline. it's worth noting improved level of many other national teams, particularly African ones. many leading players from African, South and North American national teams are playing in the top, highly competitive European leagues. thus, they are improving their level and the level of their national teams which are now competing almost on equal terms with Germany, England and other football giants.

But European football is in decline, children no longer dream of becoming footballers like they used to, they are no longer hungry.
I could say that other countries have begun to show children that footballers live well, eat and live comfortably, children dream and work hard and new talents are thus born.

European leagues is not on decline we can see how competitive the last season of the European leagues have been most entertaining and big players go around currently playing for they national team are all players that are playing in their various Europe clubs, for this reason, we can't conclude on the faith and future of Europe football just because of the performance in the world cup.

[lombok]

European leagues is not on decline we can see how competitive the last season of the European leagues have been most entertaining and big players go around currently playing for they national team are all players that are playing in their various Europe clubs, for this reason, we can't conclude on the faith and future of Europe football just because of the performance in the world cup.

The European leagues are indeed of very high quality since all the great players assemble there with the aim of competing each week. The performance of a national team during a world cup can only be a temporary outburst and cannot be the giving standard. I highly agree with the fact that the European club competitions are of the best quality of football in the world nowadays.

[junder]

In my opinion, this year’s World Cup has indeed been full of surprises such as major teams being eliminated early, for one and another surprise is the many goals scored in the final minutes of matches. While some people might be upset by this, others are happy whether because their favorite team won or because of their bets.

In my opinion, this isn’t unusual because as they say in soccer, anything can happen just like what’s happening right now where big teams are constantly being eliminated early.