This summer’s World Cup 2026 brings together 48 national teams and an equally eclectic group of managers, ranging from long-serving international bosses to high-profile former club-level names taking their first steps on football’s biggest stage.
Among them are a rather large group that Premier League fans will instantly recognise. In total, 12 bosses – 25% – who have previously managed in England’s top-flight will be on the touchline in North America this summer, each looking to make an impact.
Let’s run through them below.
READ: Four managers who could end up in the Premier League after the World Cup
The managers in question:
Ralf Rangnick (Austria)
- World Cup 2026: Austria
- Former Premier League Job: Manchester United (December 2021 – May 2022)
Manchester United turned to one of Germany’s most influential tactical thinkers, Ralf Rangnick, after they sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November 2021. United showed brief signs of improvement early on, but form deteriorated significantly towards the end of the season, with just three wins in his final 14 matches across all competitions.
There was a clear disconnect between Rangnick’s methods and the squad, with reports of players struggling to adapt to his tactical demands. United ultimately finished 6th in the Premier League with 58 points, their lowest total in the Premier League era at the time. Across all competitions, Rangnick recorded 11 wins, 10 draws, and 8 defeats from 29 games.
Rangnick has since rebuilt his reputation on the international stage with Austria. Since taking charge in May 2022, he has qualified the country to both Euro 2024 and World Cup 2026. At Euro 2024, Austria finished top of a group featuring France, Poland, and the Netherlands before being eliminated by Turkey in the last-16. Overall, Austria have won 60% of his 46 matches in charge, including six wins from eight in World Cup qualifying Group H, scoring 22 goals and conceding just four.
Austria now head to the World Cup in Group J alongside Argentina, Algeria, and Jordan.
Carlo Ancelotti (Brazil)
- World Cup 2026: Brazil
- Former Premier League Jobs: Chelsea (July 2009 – May 2011) & Everton (December 2019 – June 2021)
Widely regarded as one of the greatest club managers of all time, Carlo Ancelotti has swapped the club scene for the international stage, where he’s bidding to win the World Cup with Brazil.
By the time he arrived in England in 2009, Ancelotti already had an elite reputation in European football, having won league titles in Italy and lifted multiple Champions League trophies. He quickly added to that legacy at Chelsea, leading the club to a Premier League and FA Cup double in his debut season, but was then rather harshly dismissed at the end of his second campaign.
Ancelotti would go on to manage PSG, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Napoli, before surprisingly returning to the Premier League with Everton in 2019. During his 18 months at Goodison Park, one of his standout moments was ending Everton’s long winless league away run at Liverpool with a memorable derby victory: their first at Anfield in the 21st century. He then decided to return to Real Madrid where he’d win even more league titles and Champions League trophies.
Jesse Marsch (Canada)
- World Cup 2026: Canada
- Former Premier League Job: Leeds (February 2022 – February 2023)
Jesse Marsch is leading the Canada charge as the co-hosts bid to navigate their way out of Group B, which also contains Bosnia & Herzegovina, Qatar, and Switzerland.
Rewind to over four years ago and the American had just been appointed at Leeds United following the departure of iconic boss Marcelo Bielsa. He would go on to keep the club in the Premier League on the final day of the 2021-22 season, but the Whites struggled throughout the 2022-23 campaign – despite the odd result to celebrate including a win against Chelsea and away to Liverpool – with Marsch sacked in February 2023 after a year in the job.
Marsch was linked with an immediate return to the dugout with fellow strugglers Southampton, but talks broke down just as he appeared to be on the cusp of getting the job.
Dick Advocaat (Curacao)
- World Cup 2026: Curacao
- Former Premier League Job: Sunderland (March – October 2015)
Few managers in world football can match the longevity and experience of Dick Advocaat, who is fondly known as “The Little General”. Having begun his managerial career in 1987, the Dutchman has taken charge of clubs and national teams across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and now the Caribbean.
Advocaat’s national jobs include the Netherlands on three separate occasions, as well as the UAE, South Korea, Russia, Serbia, Iraq, and now Curacao.
Leading Curaçao to their first-ever World Cup is surely one of his greatest recent achievements while, at 78 years old, Advocaat is set to make history by becoming the oldest World Cup manager ever.
Curacao do, however, face a daunting challenge in Group E, where they have been drawn alongside Germany, Ivory Coast and Ecuador.
Thomas Tuchel (England)
- World Cup 2026: England
- Former Premier League Job: Chelsea (January 2021 – September 2022)
Few would have predicted that England would ever head into a World Cup under the guidance of a German manager, but Thomas Tuchel is the man tasked with one of the biggest challenges in international football: ending the Three Lions’ 60-year wait for another World Cup gong.
Before taking charge of England, Tuchel built an impressive club career across Europe’s elite. He won domestic titles with PSG and Bayern Munich, in between which he led Chelsea to three trophies in 20 months: Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and UEFA Super Cup, before his unexpected dismissal in September 2022.
Ronald Koeman (Netherlands)
- World Cup 2026: Netherlands
- Former Premier League Jobs: Southampton (June 2014 – June 2016) & Everton (June 2016 – October 2017)
Ronald Koeman built on the fantastic work of Mauricio Pochettino, elevating a Southampton side to 6th in the Premier League – which remains the club’s highest finish – and into the Europa League. His Saints side were a joy to watch with the likes of Sadio Mane, Dusan Tadic, Virgil van Dijk, and Graziano Pelle lighting up St Mary’s.
Koeman was lured to Everton who he took to 7th and into the Europa League in his first season, but after splashing the cash in the summer of 2017 he was sacked in October with the Toffees stuck in the drop zone.
Koeman went on to manage the Netherlands and Barcelona, before returning to the helm of Oranje in 2023. They reached the semi-finals of Euro 2024, where they lost to England, and now head to World Cup 2026 in search of that elusive first ever World Cup trophy.
Roberto Martinez (Portugal)
- World Cup 2026: Portugal
- Former Premier League Jobs: Wigan (June 2009 – May 2013) & Everton (June 2013 – May 2016)
Roberto Martinez first made his name in management with Swansea City, before he jumped up to the Premier League to take over at Wigan Athletic. His time at the DW Stadium produced one of the greatest upsets in modern English football when Wigan defeated Manchester City to win the 2013 FA Cup, securing the club’s first major trophy. However, the celebrations were short-lived as the Latics suffered relegation from the Premier League just days later.
Martinez was then appointed Everton manager after David Moyes departed for Manchester United. During his three seasons at Goodison Park, he guided the club to 5th in his first season with 72 points, which remains Everton’s highest points tally since the 1986-87 title-winning side managed by Howard Kendall.
Martinez has focused exclusively on international football since leaving Everton. He spent six years in charge of Belgium’s Golden Generation between 2016 and 2022, finishing third at the 2018 World Cup, and has been at the helm of Portugal since 2023, winning the Nations League in 2024-25.
Julen Lopetegui (Qatar)
- World Cup 2026: Qatar
- Former Premier League Jobs: Wolves (November 2022 – August 2023) & West Ham (July 2024 – January 2025)
Wolves achieved somewhat of a managerial coup in 2022 when they persuaded former Real Madrid, Spain, and Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui to take over at Molineux. However, after a 13th place finish, he then left the club just days before the 2023-24 season, but returned to England a year later with West Ham, in what proved to be a disappointing 22 game stint.
Lopetegui was appointed Qatar manager in May 2025 and quickly made an impact, guiding the nation to qualification for World Cup 2026. Qatar, who will be bidding to win their first ever point at the tournament, now face a challenging task in Group B, where they will come up against Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Switzerland.
Steve Clarke (Scotland)
- World Cup 2026: Scotland
- Former Premier League Jobs: West Brom (June 2012 – December 2013)
Steve Clarke built a strong coaching reputation at Newcastle, Chelsea, West Ham, and Liverpool before stepping into management himself. His first – and only – Premier League position came at West Bromwich Albion in 2012, where he guided the club to their highest top-flight finish (8th) since 1981 and famously oversaw a 5-5 draw against Manchester United in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final game in charge. He was dismissed midway through the following season.
Clarke later managed Reading and Kilmarnock before being appointed Scotland manager in 2019. Since then, he has overseen a historic spell, guiding Scotland to consecutive European Championships and then securing the country’s first World Cup qualification since 1998.
Graham Potter (Sweden)
- World Cup 2026: Sweden
- Former Premier League Jobs: Brighton (May 2009 – September 2022), Chelsea (September 2022 – April 2023), & West Ham (January – September 2025).
A lot can change in a year. Graham Potter was managing West Ham last summer, a job he lost in September. A month later he’d returned to Sweden, where he’d previously made his name at Ostersunds, to take charge of the national team. He squeezed them through the play-offs and will now take to the stage at the 2026 World Cup. With the likes of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres in his squad, don’t rule out the Swedes producing a surprise or two, despite a poor qualifying campaign.
Potter’s stint at West Ham may have been a disappointment, as was his short-lived tenure at Chelsea, but he is fondly remembered at Brighton, where he spent three years building a progressive, possession-based style of play, developed numerous players, and guided the club to a top-half Premier League finish.
Mauricio Pochettino (United States)
- World Cup 2026: United States
- Former Premier League Jobs: Southampton (January 2013 – May 2014), Tottenham (May 2014 – November 2019), & Chelsea (July 2023 – May 2024).
Mauricio Pochettino may never have lifted a trophy during his time in English football, but he left a lasting impression on the Premier League through his work with both Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur.
At Southampton, he quickly transformed the south coast side into one of the league’s most energetic and attractive teams, built around a high-pressing style. His success there earned him a move to Tottenham, where he spent five memorable years, shaping the club into genuine title challengers and took them on an unforgettable run to the Champions League final.
Pochettino returned to London in 2023 to take charge of Chelsea, where he spent a single season in the dugout, which featured a League Cup final, but his tenure came to an unexpected end in the summer of 2024.
He’s overseen just shy of two years at the helm of the USA, where he’s been tasked with making an impact with the co-hosts at their home tournament. Who knows, maybe a return to the Premier League will follow later this summer.
Marcelo Bielsa (Uruguay)
- World Cup 2026: Uruguay
- Former Premier League Job: Leeds (June 2018 – February 2022)
In the summer of 2018, Leeds made the memorable appointment of one of football’s most influential managers, Marcelo Bielsa, who led the club back into the Premier League for the first time in 16 years after he won the Championship title in his second season.
Leeds lit up the Premier League with their energetic and exciting style of play en route to a 9th place finish. He was unable to match this level the following season, which resulted in a mutual parting of ways in February 2022.
Bielsa is no stranger to international management, having overseen Argentina for six years and Chile for four years. Now he’s strapped in for his third World Cup, this time with Uruguay.
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