The 2026 World Cup is just a few short months away. International managers from across the globe are finalising their preparations ahead of the tournament – but not all of them can be successful.
Even in the event of a successful tournament, international managers are always shaken up in the wake of World Cups. Here are five managers who could become available after the 2026 World Cup – including former Chelsea, Everton and West Ham United bosses.
Marcelo Bielsa
Marcelo Bielsa achieved cult hero status for his run at Leeds United, during which he guided the Whites back to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years.
Currently the manager of Uruguay, Bielsa is perhaps best known for being an unofficial mentor to Pep Guardiola – the Manchester City boss has always spoken incredibly highly of him.
While Bielsa could become available after the World Cup, he’s unlikely to join the Premier League – he rejected the chance to join Everton in 2023, instead offering to become their U21s manager. He certainly is an oddball, but there has always been method behind his madness.
Julen Lopetegui
Julen Lopetegui is currently the manager of Qatar – as such, if they choose to replace him, they certainly won’t be short of funds in which to do so.
The Spaniard has plenty of experience in the Premier League, having coached Wolves and West Ham previously, to varying degrees of success.
He was only appointed as manager of Qatar in 2025 and has led them to only their second-ever World Cup – sacking him for a poor tournament would be harsh, but not unprecedented.
Ronald Koeman
Here is a name that will be very familar to fans of Everton and Southampton – Ronald Koeman is currently the manager of The Netherlands, having taken the reins in 2022.
He led them to a strong campaign in Euro 2024, where they reached the semi-finals before being knocked out by England.
The Dutch were in a bit of a mess before Koeman arrived – he has steadied the ship, but can he deliver their inaugural World Cup victory? If not, they may look towards someone else.
Julian Nagelsmann
Julian Nagelsmann made a name for himself at Bayern Munich, after cutting his teeth at RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim – now, he manages the German national team.
At Bayern, he won the Bundesliga and two DfL Supercups – he was also named as German football manager of the year in 2017 while he was at Hoffenheim.
Despite this, Nagelsmann led Die Mannschaft to a somewhat disappointing campaign in Euro 2024 – despite being tournament hosts, they could only muster a quarter-final finish.
Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel is the current manager of England. He’s shown promising signs during qualification, but as we all know, the tournament itself is a different kettle of fish.
No one is expecting the FA to sack Tuchel after his first tournament – but if the Three Lions perform particularly disastrously, it can’t be ruled out.
Previously, Tuchel has managed the likes of PSG, Chelsea and Bayern Munich – most notably, he won the Champions League during his Chelsea tenure in 2021.