Will This World Cup Feature The Greatest Managerial Lineup In History?

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.

(Getty Images)

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