List of FIFA World Cup winning managers

For a complete list of the managers in the tournament, see List of managers at the FIFA World Cup.

Vittorio Pozzo is the only manager to have won the World Cup twice.

The FIFA World Cup is considered the most prestigious association football tournament in the world.[1][2] The twenty-two World Cup tournaments have been won by eight national teams. Brazil have won five times, followed by Germany and Italy with four titles each; Argentina with three titles, France and Uruguay, with two titles each; and England and Spain, with one title each.[3] The role of the manager is to select the squad for the World Cup and develop the tactics of the team. Pressure is attached to the role due to the significance of winning a World Cup and the lack of day-to-day contact with players during the regular club season aside from international breaks.[4]

Alberto Suppici led the Uruguay national team to victory in the inaugural tournament in 1930.[5] Vittorio Pozzo is the only person who has won the World Cup twice as a manager, in 1934 and 1938 with Italy.[6] Twenty-one different managers have won the World Cup and all winning managers led their own country's national team. Five other managers finished as winners once and runners-up once; both Helmut Schön (winner in 1974, runner-up in 1966) and Franz Beckenbauer (winner in 1990, runner-up in 1986) for West Germany, Carlos Bilardo (winner in 1986, runner-up in 1990) for Argentina, Mário Zagallo (winner in 1970, runner-up in 1998) for Brazil, and Didier Deschamps (winner in 2018, runner-up in 2022) for France.[7][8]

Carlos Alberto Parreira holds the record for managing at the most FIFA World Cup final tournaments with six appearances while managing five different national teams.[9][10] Schön, who led West Germany to victory in the 1974 World Cup, has managed the most matches in the tournament at 25,[11] and won a record 16 matches during his spell as West Germany manager from 1966 to the 1978 FIFA World Cup.[12] Suppici is the youngest manager to win the World Cup, being 31 in 1930.[13] Zagallo and César Luis Menotti were also in their 30s when they won the World Cup. Zagallo was 38 years old in 1970 and Menotti was 39 years old in 1978.[14] Vicente del Bosque is the oldest coach to win the World Cup at 59 in 2010.[15]

Three men have won the tournament both as a player and as a manager; Zagallo (as a player in 1958 and 1962, as a manager in 1970), Beckenbauer (as a player in 1974, as a manager in 1990) and Didier Deschamps (as a player in 1998, as a manager in 2018).[16][17] Both Beckenbauer and Deschamps were also the captain of their respective teams while winning the World Cup as a player.[18]

  1. ^ Clift, Jeremy (March 2010). "Prize or Penalty". Finance and Development. Vol. 47, no. 1. IMF. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  2. ^ Marshall 1997, p. 266.
  3. ^ Stokkermans, Karel (22 December 2022). "World Cup 1930–2022". Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  4. ^ Evans, Chris (20 July 2022). "The art of international football management — by those who've done it". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  5. ^ Butler, Michael (23 September 2015). "Has a football club's fans ever openly supported their opponents?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  6. ^ Evans, Chris (15 December 2022). "World Cup 2022: Vittorio Pozzo's legacy and a record that is finally under threat". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  7. ^ Owsianski, Jaroslaw; DiMaggio, Roberto (16 August 2018). "World Cup 1930–2022 — Info on Coaches". Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  8. ^ "Deschamps na bereiken WK-finale in illuster rijtje: 'Nog één laatste stap te gaan'" [Deschamps after reaching the World Cup final in an illustrious row: 'One last step to go'] (in Dutch). NOS. 14 December 2022. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Carlos Alberto Parreira: The International Specialist Who Never Shied Away From a Challenge". Sports Illustrated. 26 June 2019. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  10. ^ Radnedge 2022, p. 153.
  11. ^ Lisi 2022, p. 373.
  12. ^ Laurens, Julien (11 December 2022). "'Strong in the storm': France victory over England down to mental strength". ESPN. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  13. ^ Collazo, Juan Manuel (20 December 2022). "Scaloni, el DT campeón del mundo que le bajó el precio a la experiencia en el fútbol modern" [Scaloni, the DT world champion who lowered the price of experience in modern football] (in Spanish). TyC Sports. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  14. ^ McColl 2010, p. 264.
  15. ^ "Veteran Vicente leads Spain to the summit (60): 100 great World Cup moments". FIFA. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  16. ^ West, Jenna (15 July 2018). "Didier Deschamps Becomes Third to Win World Cup as Player and Manager". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 20 May 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  17. ^ Auclair, Philippe (17 December 2022). "Didier Deschamps: a born competitor with only one mission in life – to win". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  18. ^ Jolly, Richard (14 December 2022). "Why isn't Didier Deschamps seen as a coaching genius?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.