The Venezuelan Football Federation has dismissed Fernando 'Bocha' Batista, head coach of the national team, and his entire coaching staff following their failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals.
this decision was taken based on the fact that there were targets that Batista failed to achieve.
The Federation considers that a change of direction is necessary to ensure that the Venezuelan National Team continues to progress in its process of growth and consolidation.
"Under Batista's leadership, the team demonstrated a competitive spirit and moments of football development, but the final results did not meet the expectations of the country and the institution," the FVF said in a statement.
"The FVF reaffirms its commitment to the development of Venezuelan football and is currently preparing the next steps to form a new coaching staff that can face the upcoming World Cup cycle with determination," the official statement continued.
In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers for the CONMEBOL zone, Venezuela had to bury their dreams of advancing to the final round after finishing eighth in the final standings.
Venezuela is in eighth place in the final standings of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers for the CONMEBOL zone with 18 points from 18 matches, with a record of four wins, six draws, and eight losses.
Venezuela's failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup was confirmed in the final qualifying match after losing 3-6 to Colombia, while on the other hand, Bolivia was able to beat Brazil which made it into the play-off position .
This failure also extends Venezuela's record of never appearing in a World Cup final since becoming a FIFA member in 1938 and a CONMEBOL member in 1953.
