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.Â
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.Â
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 â and potentially the greatest â managerial lineup in World Cup history.
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.
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 c
