The 2026 World Cup is almost upon us. In just over a week, the time for talking will stop, and teams will have to prove their credentials with their performances on the pitch in North America.
All roads, whether through the United States, Mexico or Canada, will lead to New Jersey on July 19, and the biggest football match on the planet: the World Cup final.
While there will be plenty of superstars on the pitch, there will be almost as many recognizable faces in the managerial dugouts.
From elite-level coaches who have swapped the club game for stints on the international scene, to a host of ex-Premier League bosses, to legendary players of the past who are now trying their hand at management, this is perhaps the most star-studded — and potentially the greatest — managerial lineup in World Cup history.
Coaching 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 fewer than five times, as well as league titles in five different countries (Italy, England, France, Spain and Germany). He has now been given the task of ending Brazil’s 24-year wait for their sixth global title.
The first foreign coach in the history of the Selecao, Ancelotti’s first year in charge has not always run smoothly, but there have been signs of Brazil rounding into form at the exact right time.
Another Champions League winner who has been placed in charge of one of the favourites despite hailing from a foreign land, Thomas Tuchel is out to end England’s 60 years of hurt. The German oversaw a historic qualifying campaign during which the Three Lions won all eight matches without conceding a goal, and while some of their friendly results have been concerning, Tuchel’s previous success in cup competitions from his stints at Chelsea, PSG, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund bodes well for a deep run.
Like Ancelotti and Tuchel, another man to have stepped into the madhouses that are Stamford Bridge and Parc des Princes is Mauricio Pochettino, and he has taken on perhaps the most daunting task yet: Ensuring the United States seize the moment ahead of the biggest month in American soccer history. Pochettino has had to battle inconsistent form, key players dropping out of squads and constant questions about his future – most notably throughout Tottenham’s dismal season – and while he may well be one and done with the U.S., he has the coaching chops to ensure this tournament is a success for the co-hosts.
Rounding out this quartet is the one manager between them to have coached at an international tournament before this World Cup, Julian Nagelsmann. Almost unique in that Nagelsmann is in his 30 and yet has already transitioned into international football, his Germany side reflect that youthful energy and have recorded some eye-catching results under the management of the former Bayern boss. They will be looking to go further than the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 that Nagelsmann led them to two years ago.
International Winners
Though those managers have collected trophies for fun at club level, they are still waiting for international silverware. There are some coaches at this tournament, though, who know what it takes to win major tournaments.
Didier Deschamps will be managing France for the final time at this World Cup, having guided 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, and he reached 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 tha 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 what may be his final international tournament as an active player.
Deschamps and Scaloni are the only World Cup-winning managers to be taking charge of teams in 2026, but there are others who have tasted success at continental tournaments. Luis de la Fuente, for example, has been on a winding journey through the Spain age-group sides before guiding La Roja’s senior squad to glory at Euro 2024, beating England in the final.
Emerse Fae, however, can lay claim to the most remarkable route to tournament success. When Ivory Coast kicked-off the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Fae was the assistant manager. But following the resignation of Jean-Louis Gasset mid-tournament, Fae stepped up and led the Elephants all the way to the final, where they beat Nigeria.
Depending 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 leave the pitch in protest that has led CAF to since award victory to Morocco, but it is the Senegal boss who has a winner’s medal at home.
Past Premier League Bosses
As well as 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 of Uruguay if they go deep into the competition.
Jesse Marsch is another alumnus of Elland Road, and he will hope to upset the apple cart with co-hosts Canada. Marsch reportedly believed he was the frontrunner for the U.S. job before Pochettino was hired, and thus will be out to make a point both to those in his homeland, and those in England who criticised his Leeds tenure.
Ronald Koeman, meanwhile, heads to the tournament in the Netherlands dugout, having previously managed Southampton and Everton in the English top-flight. His most recent club job, amazingly, was 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, though he was not capable of getting them over the line. Now he is tasked with delivering Cristiano Ronaldo the one prize 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, previously of Manchester United, has brought his gegenpressing model to the Austria national team, while former West Brom boss Steve Clarke will be in charge of Scotland as they aim to reach the World Cup knockouts for the very first time.
One of only two English managers at the tournament (alongside New Zealand’s Darren Bazeley) is Graham Potter, who bounced back from his awful spells in charge of Chelsea and West Ham to lead 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 firing in North America.
There will be no one more experienced, however, than Dick Advocaat, who at 78 is set to become the oldest manager in Premier League history. Formerly of Sunderland, as well as Rangers, PSV and Fenerbahce, Advocaat will coach at his third World Cup some 32 years after his first attempt after performing something of a minor miracle in qualifying Curacao for the tournament. Advocaat was forced to step down in the months that followed that success to spend time with his ill daughter, but was coaxed back just a few weeks later to once again lead one of the tournament debutants.
Norway 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, popping up every two or four years as fans settle down in front of their televisions to watch the matches unfold.
One such coach is Zlatko Dalic, who will be guiding Croatia into their third World Cup under his management. He has never failed to reach the semifinals on his previous two attempts, and even led Croatia to a runners-up finish in 2018, meaning Dalic has some reputation to live up to in 2026.
Javi Aguirre is also heading to his third World Cup in charge of Mexico, though 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 last run with the co-hosts before he hands over the reins to his assistant and legendary former captain, Rafa Marquez.
Hajime Moriyasu is becoming a staple of World Cups. He was Japan’s assistant coach in 2018 before stepping up to the top job in time for 2022, where he guided the Samurai Blue to victories over both Spain and Germany as they made it out of a daunting-looking group.
There are also some familiar faces in new places; Vladimir Petkovic, for so long Switzerland boss, is now in charge of Algeria, while Graham Arnold will bring Iraq to their first World Cup since 1986 having led Australia to the last 16 four years ago.
None, however, can hold a candle to Carlos Queiroz, who will become just the third man ever to coach at five successive 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 United States 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 stellar playing careers at the very top of the game before turning their hands to management, there are only two coaches 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 have lifted the trophy both as a player and a manager, having been part of France’s victorious 1998 squad. The other, meanwhile, is Italy’s inspirational captain from 2006, Fabio Cannavaro.
The Ballon d’Or winner from 20 years ago has been placed 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 thus far as the first central Asian side to ever make it to the World Cup finals aim to make it out of a group containing Portugal and Colombia.
With no rooting interest at a third-straight 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 they reached the semifinals in 2002.
2026 FIFA World Cup: How To Watch
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11–July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament matches will air live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming live and on-demand within both the FOX One and the FOX Sports app. A record 40 matches, more than one-third of the tournament, will air in prime time across FOX (21) and FS1 (19).
The opening match on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa (3 p.m. ET) will stream for free on Tubi, as well as the USA’s opening match against Paraguay on June 12 (9 p.m. ET).
