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The 2026 World Cup is almost upon us. In just over a week time will stop for talking and teams will have to prove their credentials with their performance on the field in North America.
All roads, whether through the United States, Mexico or Canada, will lead to New Jersey on July 19 and the biggest soccer game on the planet: the World Cup final.
While there will be plenty of superstars on pitch, there will be almost as many recognizable faces in the managerial dugouts.
From elite-level managers who have swapped the club game for stints on the international stage, to a host of former Premier League bosses, to legendary players of the past now trying their hand at management, this is perhaps the most star-studded – and potentially the greatest – managerial line-up in World Cup history.
Trainer Elite
Heading to the World Cup are four of the most in-demand and successful managers from the past decade or so of the European club game.
Carlo Ancelotti, the former Real Madrid, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea boss, has won the Champions League no less than five times, as well as league titles in five different countries (Italy, England, France, Spain and Germany). He is now tasked with ending Brazil’s 24-year wait for their sixth global title.
The first foreign coach in the Selecao’s history, Ancelotti’s first year in charge has not always gone smoothly, but there have been signs that Brazil are rounding off form at exactly the right time.
Another Champions League winner who has been placed in charge of one of the favorites despite hailing from a foreign country, Thomas Tuchel is out to end England’s 60-year run of injury. The German oversaw a historic qualifying campaign in which the Three Lions won all eight games without conceding a goal, and while some of their friendly results have been worrying, Tuchel’s previous success in cup competitions from his spells at Chelsea, PSG, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund bodes well for a deep run.
Like Ancelotti and Tuchel, another man who has entered the madhouses that are Stamford Bridge and the Parc des Princes is Mauricio Pochettino, and he has taken on perhaps the most daunting task yet: ensuring that the United States seizes the moment ahead of the biggest month in American soccer history. Pochettino has had to contend with inconsistent form, key players dropping out of squads and constant questions about his future – particularly throughout Tottenham’s dismal season – and while he may well be one and done with the USA, he has the coaches to ensure this tournament is a success for the co-hosts.
Rounding out this quartet is the one manager among them to have coached at an international tournament prior to this World Cup, Julian Nagelsmann. Almost unique in that Nagelsmann is in his 30s and yet has already transitioned to international football, his Germany side reflect that youthful energy and have recorded some eye-catching results under the former Bayern boss. They will be looking to go further than the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, which Nagelsmann led them to two years ago.
International winners
Although these managers have collected trophies for fun at club level, they are still waiting for international silverware. However, there are some coaches for this tournament who know what it takes to win big tournaments.
Didier Deschamps will manage France for the last time at this World Cup after guiding Les Bleus to glory in 2018 and to the final in 2022, where they were beaten by Argentina. Deschamps has been in charge of France for 14 years, reaching three major finals in that time; few would bet against him doing it again.
The man who succeeded Deschamps in terms of winning the World Cup, Lionel Scaloni remains in charge of Argentina, despite hinting at walking away on more than one occasion since that triumphant December night in Qatar. Scaloni has also won the Copa América twice with La Albiceleste, and has the honor of managing Lionel Messi at his last international tournament as an active player.
Deschamps and Scaloni are the only World Cup-winning managers to take charge of teams in 2026, but there are others who have tasted success at continental tournaments. Luis de la Fuente, e.g. has had a tortuous journey through the Spanish age groups before guiding La Roja’s senior squad to glory at Euro 2024, beating England in the final.
However, Emerse Fae can lay claim to the most notable path to tournament success. When Ivory Coast started the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Fae was assistant manager. But after Jean-Louis Gasset stepped down midway through the tournament, Fae stepped up and led the Elephants all the way to the final, where they beat Nigeria.
Depending on who you believe, Pape Thiaw is also an AFCON winner after Senegal lifted the trophy back in January. Of course, it was Thiaw’s decision to have his players walk off the pitch in protest that prompted CAF to later award the win to Morocco, but it is the Senegal boss who has a winner’s medal on home soil.
Former Premier League managers
In addition to Ancelotti, Tuchel and Pochettino, there are plenty of other former Premier League coaches heading to the World Cup.
Former Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa will guide Uruguay into battle. The maverick Argentine inspired devotion in West Yorkshire during his three-and-a-half seasons at the helm, and could become an icon for Uruguay if they go deep into the competition.
Jesse Marsh is another Elland Road alumnus and will be hoping to upset the apple cart with co-hosts Canada. Marsch reportedly believed he was the front-runner for the American job before Pochettino was hired, and will therefore be out to make a point to both those in his home country and those in England who criticized his Leeds tenure.
Ronald Koeman, meanwhile, goes to the tournament in the Dutch dugout, having previously managed Southampton and Everton in the English top flight. His most recent club job was, incredibly, at Barcelona. Roberto Martinez is another who previously managed Everton – as well as Wigan Athletic – and will take charge of Portugal. Martinez previously managed Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’ between 2016 and 2022, taking them to two World Cups, although he was unable to get them over the line. Now he has been tasked with handing Cristiano Ronaldo the one award that has eluded him throughout his illustrious career.
Elsewhere, Julen Lopetegui, the ex-Wolves and West Ham manager, will finally get the chance to coach at a World Cup after he was sacked by Spain on the eve of the 2018 tournament for holding talks with Real Madrid. He will take charge of Qatar. Ralf Rangnick, formerly of Manchester United, has brought his gegenpressende model to the Austrian national team, while former West Brom boss Steve Clarke will feature for Scotland as they aim to reach the World Cup knockouts for the very first time.
One of only two English managers at the tournament (along with New Zealand’s Darren Bazeley) is Graham Potter, who bounced back from dire spells in charge of Chelsea and West Ham to guide Sweden through the UEFA play-offs. Having built his reputation in Scandinavia with Ostersunds, Potter is now tasked with getting the likes of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres fired in North America.
However, there will be no one more experienced than Dick Advocaat, who at 78 is set to become the oldest manager in Premier League history. Advocaat, formerly of Sunderland, as well as Rangers, PSV and Fenerbahce, will coach at his third World Cup some 32 years after his first attempt after pulling off something of a minor miracle in qualifying Curacao for the tournament. Advocaat was forced to step down in the months following the success to spend time with his ill daughter, but was lured back just a few weeks later to once again lead one of the tournament debutants.
Norway’s boss Stale Solbakken, Panama manager Thomas Christiansen and Tunisia’s Sabri Lamouchi all have previous championship experience; Solbakken coached Wolves, Christiansen spent less than a season at Leeds, and Lamouchi managed both Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City in the second tier.
Tournament staples
There are some coaches who become synonymous with tournament football, appearing every two or four years as fans settle in front of their televisions to watch the games unfold.
One such coach is Zlatko Dalic, who will guide Croatia into their third World Cup under his leadership. He has never failed to reach the semi-finals on his previous two attempts and even led Croatia to a runner-up finish in 2018, meaning Dalic has a reputation to live up to in 2026.
Javi Aguirre is also heading for his third World Cup in charge of Mexico, although his have all been during separate stints with El Tri. Aguirre managed Mexico at both the 2002 and 2010 tournaments and has returned for one final run with the co-hosts before handing over the reins to his assistant and legendary former captain, Rafa Marquez.
Hajime Moriyasu is becoming a fixture at the World Championships. He was Japan’s assistant coach in 2018 before rising to the top job in time for 2022, guiding the Samurai Blue to wins over both Spain and Germany as they emerged from a daunting group.
There are also some familiar faces in new places; Vladimir Petkovic, long-time Switzerland boss, is now in charge of Algeria, while Graham Arnold will take Iraq to their first World Cup since 1986 after guiding Australia to the last 16 four years ago.
However, no one can hold a candle to Carlos Queiroz, who will become just the third man ever to coach at five consecutive World Cups after accepting a late offer to take charge of Ghana. The former Real Madrid boss and Manchester United assistant has been to previous tournaments with Portugal and Iran (three times), and will match the achievements of former US manager Bora Milutinovic and 1994 winner Carlos Alberto Pereira, the latter of whom holds the record for most managerial appearances with six.
Legendary former players
While Ancelotti, Koeman and Pochettino can all claim to have enjoyed excellent playing careers at the top of the game before turning their hands to management, there are only two managers in 2026 who can claim to have won the World Cup on the pitch.
The first is Deschamps, who is one of only three men to lift the trophy as both player and manager, having been part of France’s victorious squad in 1998. The other, meanwhile, is Italy’s inspirational 2006 captain, Fabio Cannavaro.
The Ballon d’Or winner 20 years ago has been put in charge of debutants Uzbekistan, having taken over in October after their qualification was confirmed. A title winner in China, results under Cannavaro have been mixed so far as the first Central Asian side to ever reach the World Cup finals aim to get out of a group containing Portugal and Colombia.
With no vested interest in a third consecutive World Cup, Italian fans will also be keen to follow the progress of former Azzurri striker Vincenzo Montella. Part of the Italy squad that reached the Euro 2000 final and a Serie A winner with Roma, Montella has qualified Türkiye for their first World Cup since reaching the semi-finals in 2002.
2026 FIFA World Cup: How to watch
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Spread over three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at the New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament games will be broadcast live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every game streaming live and on-demand on both FOX One and the FOX Sports app. A record 40 games, more than a third of the tournament, are televised in prime time across FOX (21) and FS1 (19).
The June 11 opener between Mexico and South Africa (3 p.m. ET) will stream for free on Tubi, as will the USA’s June 12 opener against Paraguay (9 p.m. ET).
