Perhaps one day England will be thankful to Iceland.
Perhaps the 2-1 loss to the smallest nation ever to grace a major tournament can be the smelling salts that jolt the Football Association hierarchy into life.
Perhaps the country's most embarrassing major tournament defeat since a loss to the part-timers of the United States in 1950 will help pinpoint the clearly deep-lying issues within the English game.
Perhaps Roy Hodgson's successor can find a way of building a clear team identity that will help the country challenge regularly for glory on the continental and world stage.
Given the FA's track record following previous shambolic tournament exits, do not hold your breath.
This was supposed to be the year that England seriously put up a challenge to win a first trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
But, like so many of the tournaments of the last 50 years, England's promise failed to materialise and they exited in humiliating circumstances.
Hodgson's bold, attack-minded squad promised excitement if nothing else, so it was somewhat ironic that a lack of cutting edge proved their undoing in France.
Raheem Sterling was the punch bag in attack and Joe Hart took flak for some grievous goalkeeping errors, yet, in truth, only a handful returned home with a modicum of pride in their performance.
Daniel Sturridge's last-gasp winner against Wales was a rare moment to savour in a tournament to forget, but seeing their neighbours then respond by progressing to the semi-finals stuck in the craw.
There is no doubt England have the superior strength in depth, but where was the cohesion, passion and identity Chris Coleman's men boasted in spades?
Wales secured top spot in Group B by swatting aside Russia - a side England started so impressively against in their Marseille opener, only to concede an equaliser in the dying moments.
Coleman's men impressively ground out a win in their first major tournament match in 58 years against Slovakia, yet England could only toil to a goalless draw against the same opposition in their final group game after Hodgson's gamble of making six changes backfired.
It was an arrogance that allowed England to be usurped as Group B leaders and sent them into a far more treacherous half of the draw, with hosts France the quarter-final opponents and world champions Germany blocking their path to the final.
Well, that would have been the case had Hodgson's men not fallen at the last-16 stage to a country the size of Leicester and unable to play outdoor football for large chunks of the year.
Nobody could argue that Iceland did not deserve what was the biggest win in their history, having outfought and outplayed individuals they freely admitted to admiring.
Hodgson tendered his resignation immediately - not that his contract was going to be extended after the loss in Nice - as English football headed into its latest tailspin, with questions about how to get a talented group of individuals to become a successful team as pertinent and difficult to answer as ever.
England have proven recently that they challenge the best, underlined by November's win over an admittedly emotionally-drained France, March's exceptional comeback 3-2 victory in Germany and a narrow victory against Portugal before the tournament in France got under way.
The last-gasp Group B victory against Wales meant that over the last eight months the Three Lions had defeated all four Euro 2016 semi-finalists, although that merely highlighted their inability to come together at the crucial time.
Tired and uninspired, the squad returned home humiliated and potentially scarred by the Euro 2016 experience, which for some came off the back of a chastening group-stage elimination at the World Cup two years ago.
It has led the FA to set up a three-point action plan in a bid to not only find Hodgson's successor but how to avoid another shambolic major tournament display.
A full assessment of Euro 2016 through internal and external consultation is under way, so too a general review into England's displays across previous major tournaments.
The opinions of influential figures across the game are being sought as the FA launches its latest root-and-branch review into England's failings - a meagre six knock-out wins since lifting the World Cup 50 years ago shows how deep issues run.
There is no quick fix but hopefully the Euro 2016 experience and slumping out to Iceland will mean that England have bottomed out.
Perhaps, though, the exasperating displays we have become used to will continue - few would bet against it.
Source: PA
