The leadership lessons we learned from the World Cup

For both hard-core and casual fans of the world game it’s been a wonderful month of early morning starts, trying to understand the VAR system and finding Cabo Verde on Google Maps.  

Sport is always a great arena for lessons on leadership – and life – and the concentrated energy and drama of a World Cup is no exception.  

ANZSOG staff have embraced this year’s World Cup, and we’ve identified a few themes that emerged through the 2026 tournament of relevance to organisational leaders. 

Innovation beats complacency:  

2026 was the 16th consecutive World Cup where the defending champion has failed to win. 

Argentina made the final, but its squad was ageing and Leo Messi couldn’t drag them over the line. That effort was better than average for teams seeking to go back-to-back.  

More common is the experience of France in 2006, Italy in 2010, Spain in 2014 and Germany in 2018: all made embarrassing exits in the group stage.  

Why? Managers who win World Cups don’t get challenged. They tend to stick with established performers for too long and maintain tactics which are out-of-date or have been worked out by the opposition. Hunger to win outweighs experience. 

Any team or organisation that wants to stay on top, or even stay competitive, needs to refresh their ideas, challenge their leadership and bring through fresh blood.

Develop that organisational culture and vision 

National teams preparing for a World Cup have limited time together to build teamwork and cohesion, making the development of a commonly shared playing philosophy even more important. Traditional national styles are becoming less distinct in a globalised era of football, but the best teams still embrace their own DNA.  

Spain leads the way, by making sure all its national teams, from under-17s upwards play the same possession-based style. National coach Luis de la Puente cut his teeth in national youth system, rather than the glamorous world of club football, and understands the style and his players backwards. 

In contrast, England under coach Thomas Tuchel took a new approach, but retreated into their shells at a crucial time in the semi-final amid disconnect between coach and players, and game-losing confusion. Brazil hired a foreign coach for the first time, but the attempt to add some European tactical rigour to the Brazilian style of play ended up with a bland and uninspired early exit. 

Any organisation needs a clear vision and style, so that people know what to do when times are uncertain. Leaders set the template and make sure everyone is going along with the vision. 

Hope is not a strategy (learn to manage expectations): 48 teams made it to the World Cup – most with hopes of making a deep run into the tournament. Despite the element of luck in a short football tournament, it was the top four seeds (all former winners) that made the semi-finals. A few teams, such as Norway, Cabo Verde and Canada had their best tournaments ever, but most went home disappointed. 

In a range of countries hope has turned to rage and recrimination. Tunisia sacked their coach after the first game, other countries have seen managers resign, the USA has gone back to ignoring soccer, and South Korea is now embroiled in an inquiry into corruption around the appointment of the team’s coach. 

Most public sector work does not generate the same passions as a quadrennial shot at football glory, but all major projects can come with unrealistic expectations. 

Make sure that expectations are clear from the start, and people have a realistic idea of what is possible with the resources you have at your disposal. And don’t forget, it’s OK to play for a draw sometimes! 

Teamwork trumps talent: Successful football teams are more than the sum of their parts. Every player knows their responsibilities within the system. While creativity is encouraged, chaos is avoided because each player understands their role and how it supports the team. Legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly said that ‘a football is like a piano: you need eight people to move it, but only two to play it’ a reminder that too many ‘stars’ can be as bad as too few. 

Spain were a less talented squad than France, but were able to dominate them in a semi-final through a team-oriented approach that shut down Kylian Mbappe and his offsiders. Earlier in the tournament substitute Mikel Merino scored two game-winning goals, showing the importance of squad depth.  

On the other hand, attempting to build a team around an ageing Cristiano Ronaldo left Portugal, arguably, less than the sum of their parts. 

Teams that collaborate well and understand how to work towards a shared goal often perform more consistently over those based on individual talent. Knowing our own roles, and trusting that others will do theirs leads to more effective teams.  

Invest in the talent pipeline: International football is not like the club game, where the teams with the big budgets buy the best players every year. Countries that aim to win the World Cup need to start by investing in youth programs. France, which has been a consistent contender for the last 30 years, runs a highly-centralised talent identification program, culminating in a national youth academy. In Spain, club-based youth academies, such as Barcelona’s famous La Masia, offer structured development that lifts the quality of players available to the national team. Not all countries have the same ability to resource football, but some are thinking laterally. Curacao (population 153,000) qualified for its first World Cup, after building a team by targeting Netherlands-born players with Curacao ancestry and persuading them to come home. 

Success equals succession. Organisations that want to build long-term strength do not rely on chance. They focus on developing the next generation of leaders and giving them opportunities to succeed. 

And finally, there’s always next time. Football is full of second chance and redemption arcs, and hope springs eternal. We’re already looking forward to cheering on the Socceroos in 2030