Which head coaches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup have ties to the Bundesliga?
There are set to be a host of familiar faces on the touchline at this summer's FIFA World Cup in North America. Many of them, including the likes of Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann, previously in the Bayern Munich hot seat, have Bundesliga connections as both former head coaches and ex-players.
Julian Nagelsmann
Age: 38
National team: Germany
Bundesliga clubs coached: Hoffenheim (2016–19), RB Leipzig (2019–21), Bayern Munich (2021–23)
Notable Bundesliga achievements
Handed the reins at Hoffenheim in February 2016, aged 28, Nagelsmann made a name for himself by becoming the youngest permanent head coach in Bundesliga history – a record which still stands to this day.
In Sinsheim, Nagelsmann helped Hoffenheim avoid relegation in his maiden campaign, before guiding them to consecutive top-four finishes the following seasons, which would bring the club its first ever qualification for the UEFA Champions League.
Watch: Julian Nagelsmann - Hoffenheim's revolutionary coach
Moving on to RB Leipzig in June 2018, Nagelsmann embarked on a story of ‘almosts’ with Die Roten Bullen. In 2019/20 he led them to the Champions League semi-final, where they were knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain, before steering them to a second-placed league Bundesliga finish and DFB Cup final.
Continuing his meteoric rise, Nagelsmann landed the Bayern job in summer 2021. It was in Bavaria where the young coach would finally win his first Meisterschale, claiming Bundesliga glory at the end of the 2021/22 season – a feat which he supplemented with back-to-back Supercups.
Record as Germany coach
Since replacing Hansi Flick as Germany head coach in September 2023, Nageslmann has overseen 25 international matches, winning 14, drawing six and losing five.
At UEFA Euro 2024, Nagelsmann led hosts Germany to the quarter-finals where they were defeated 2-1 by eventual champions Spain. He followed that up with a fourth-placed finish in the UEFA Nations League in 2025, losing 2-1 to Portugal in the semi-final, before tasting defeat again 2-0 to France in the third-place play-off.
Watch: Julian Nagelsmann on his World Cup squad selection
Thomas Tuchel
Age: 52
National team: England
Bundesliga clubs coached: Mainz (2009–14), Borussia Dortmund (2015–17), Bayern (2023–24)
Notable Bundesliga achievements
Where to start? Tuchel helped Mainz punch above their weight and finish as high as fifth in 2010/11 in his first appointment as head coach. He later won the DFB Cup with Dortmund in 2017, overseeing the development of the likes of Christian Pulisic and Ousmane Dembélé, before steering Bayern to the Bundesliga title in 2022/23.
Record as England coach
Tuchel was appointed as Three Lions manager in January 2025, tasked with winning a major trophy. He masterminded a perfect World Cup qualification campaign, with his side topping Group K with eight wins from eight, 22 goals scored and none conceded.
His overall record prior to the tournament reads 12 games played, nine wins, one draw and two defeats.
Watch: Thomas Tuchel's impressive career path
Carlo Ancelotti
Age: 66
National team: Brazil
Bundesliga clubs coached: Bayern (2016–17)
Notable Bundesliga achievements
Ancelotti had the unenviable task of replacing Pep Guardiola at Säbener Straße for the 2016/17 campaign, but hit the ground running by lifting the Supercup just a few weeks into his tenure.
The Reds went on to win the Bundesliga title that season, finishing 15 points ahead of runners-up Leipzig, and later defended their Supercup crown in August 2017. However, after a disappointing start to the team's Champions League campaign, he was dismissed in September 2017.
Record as Brazil coach
Ancelotti left Real Madrid in summer 2025 to take over A Seleção. He is clearly doing something right, as just a year later he was awarded a four-year contract extension.
The Italian tactician sealed Brazil’s spot at the World Cup with two wins and a draw from his four qualifying games, and the South Americans have since won three, drawn one and lost two of their friendlies.
Ralf Rangnick
Age: 67
National team: Austria
Bundesliga clubs coached: VfB Stuttgart (1999–2001), Hannover (2001–04), Schalke (2004–05, 2011), Hoffenheim (2006–11), Leipzig (2015–16, 2018–19)
Notable Bundesliga achievements
Over the course of his 12-year playing career, Rangnick never managed to play in the Bundesliga - but that would all change once he started coaching. The German enjoyed head coach spells at Stuttgart, Hannover, Hoffenheim, Leipzig and Schalke. It was at the latter where he won the DFB Cup in the 2010/11 season, overseeing 5-0 win over Ruhr rivals Duisburg in the final.
Across two separate spells with Leipzig, Rangnick helped the burgeoning club reach the Bundesliga in 2016, before guiding them to Champions League qualification three seasons later.
Record as Austria coach
Austria’s failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup led to the appointment of Rangnick as the national team’s new head coach. Following a disappointing UEFA Nations League campaign, the journeyman coach led Austria to Euro 2024, where they were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Türkiye.
A near-flawless qualification campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup followed as Rangnick’s men topped their group, losing just once - to Romania. That defeat is also the only one they have suffered since the beginning of 2025, as this year began with friendly victories over Ghana (5-1) and South Korea (1-0).
Ståle Solbakken
Age: 58
National team: Norway
Bundesliga clubs coached: Cologne (2011–12)
Notable Bundesliga achievements
Although Solbakken’s managerial club career is best known for his long and successful tenures at Danish giants Copenhagen, he did have a brief spell in Germany with Cologne.
Despite the campaign ending with the Billy Goats’ relegation and the sacking of Solbakken, there were still some standout moments. The most notable came on Matchday 6 when they beat local rivals Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 away from home as club legend Lukas Podolski notched a brace.
Record as Norway coach
Solbakken has overseen the progress of a golden generation for the Norwegian national team. Led by the likes of Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard, Solbakken has helped his country to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 28 years.
In his 54 games in charge of Norway, Solbakken has overseen 31 victories, 11 draws and 12 losses. Those 54 games have also seen his side score an impressive 121 goals whilst conceding just 52.
In the qualifiers, Norway won all eight of their games to top their group, finishing above the winners Euro 2020 winners Italy. In the process, they scored an incredible 37 goals and conceded just five to finish with a goal difference of plus 32, easily the highest total in the European qualifying stage.
Jesse Marsch
Age: 52
National team: Canada
Bundesliga clubs coached: Leipzig (2021)
Notable Bundesliga achievements
Marsch arrived in the Bundesliga as Rangnick’s assistant at Leipzig for 2018/19. After a successful two-year stint in Austria with sister club Red Bull Salzburg, he returned to Leipzig for the top job to replace Nagelsmann ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.
While he achieved some notable results, including a 2-2 draw against a Paris Saint-Germain side featuring Kylian Mbappé and Neymar in the Champions League, and a 2-1 Bundesliga win over Dortmund, Marsch was dismissed in December that same year.
Record as Canada coach
In May 2024, Marsch became the first American ever to be appointed head coach of their neighbours to the north. As of late May 2026, he had won 12 of his 29 games at the helm (drawing 12 and losing five), a run that includes a third-place finish at the 2025 Concacaf Nations League finals.
Former players
There are also a trio of World Cup coaches who, despite never coaching in the German top flight, enjoyed successful spells in the Bundesliga as players:
- Sergej Barbarez
Age: 54
National team: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bundesliga clubs represented: Hannover (1992–93), Union Berlin (1993–96), Hansa Rostock (1996–98), Dortmund (1998–2000), Hamburg (2000–06), Leverkusen (2006–08) -
Thomas Christiansen
Age: 53
National team: Panama
Bundesliga clubs represented: Bochum (2001–03), Hannover (2003–06) -
Murat Yakin
Age: 51
National team: Switzerland
Bundesliga clubs represented: Stuttgart (1997–98), Kaiserslautern (2000–01)
