There has been a lot of excitement about the prospects of whole genome sequencing (WGS) to support infection prevention and control in a really meaningful way over the past decade or two. But to me this potential seems largely unfulfilled. WGS remains largely the domain of reference and research laboratories, and has not transitioned effectively to support IPC daily decision making. A recent review highlights the potential of WGS to support IPC, and identifies some of the barriers to be overcome if WGS really is to be a big part of our future in IPC.