Africa to field both youngest and oldest coaches at 2026 FIFA World Cup

Among the 28 confirmed managers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Africa will stand out for featuring both the tournament’s youngest and oldest coaches.

While club football has rapidly embraced younger, modern-minded tacticians, the international stage has been slower to follow that trend. It may take a few more years before managers in their 30s become common at the national team level, though history shows it is not unprecedented.

According to Guinness World Records, the youngest manager ever at a men’s World Cup remains Argentina’s Juan Jose Tramutola, who co-managed his country at just 27 years old during the inaugural 1930 tournament. That same year, 29-year-old Gyorgi Orth led Chile.

For the 2026 edition in North America, South Africa’s Hugo Broos will enter as the oldest coach at 74. The Belgian tactician could become the oldest manager in World Cup history, surpassing Otto Rehhagel’s record, set at 71 when he guided Greece in 2010.

Broos will not be the only septuagenarian on the touchline. Uruguay’s Marcelo Bielsa, aged 71 during the tournament, is also set to feature. Known for his meticulous, data-driven approach and intense training regimes, Bielsa will be managing at his third World Cup after leading Argentina in 2002 and Chile in 2010.

Also making a third World Cup appearance will be Javier Aguirre of Mexico. The 67-year-old previously coached El Tri in 2002 and 2010, steering them to the round of 16 on both occasions.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Emerse Faé of Ivory Coast will be the youngest coach at the 2026 World Cup. The 42-year-old guided the Elephants to qualification and will represent a new generation of African managers on football’s grandest stage.

Faé joins Ecuador’s Sebastián Beccacece (45) and Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni (48) as the only confirmed coaches under 50 heading to the tournament. Scaloni, notably, will be defending the world title he won with Argentina in Qatar in 2022.

Meanwhile, Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia have all qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

Cameroon, DR Congo, Nigeria and Gabon will battle for a place in the playoff.