At every FIFA World Cup, national team coaching selections draw worldwide attention. A notable trend across recent tournaments has been the number of teams led by foreign managers. Here’s a breakdown of how many national teams were managed by foreign coaches during the 2014, 2018, and 2022 World Cups.
Foreign Coaches at the 2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup, hosted in Brazil, saw 14 out of 32 national teams appoint foreign managers. This represented approximately 44% of all participants.
Examples of Foreign Coaches in 2014:
- Japan – Alberto Zaccheroni (Italy)
- Iran – Carlos Queiroz (Portugal)
- Costa Rica – Jorge Luis Pinto (Colombia)
- United States – Jürgen Klinsmann (Germany)
- Switzerland – Ottmar Hitzfeld (Germany)
- Colombia – José Pékerman (Argentina)
- Russia – Fabio Capello (Italy)
- Chile – Jorge Sampaoli (Argentina)
- Ecuador – Reinaldo Rueda (Colombia)
- Honduras – Luis Fernando Suárez (Colombia)
- Algeria – Vahid Halilhodžić (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Ivory Coast – Sabri Lamouchi (France)
- Cameroon – Volker Finke (Germany)
- Greece – Fernando Santos (Portugal)
Foreign Coaches at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
At the 2018 tournament in Russia, the number of foreign-led teams dropped slightly. Twelve out of 32 teams, or about 38%, had foreign head coaches.
Examples of Foreign Coaches in 2018:
- Australia – Bert van Marwijk (Netherlands)
- Egypt – Héctor Cúper (Argentina)
- Iran – Carlos Queiroz (Portugal)
- Morocco – Hervé Renard (France)
- Peru – Ricardo Gareca (Argentina)
- Saudi Arabia – Juan Antonio Pizzi (Argentina)
- Mexico – Juan Carlos Osorio (Colombia)
- Panama – Hernán Darío Gómez (Colombia)
- Belgium – Roberto Martínez (Spain)
- Denmark – Åge Hareide (Norway)
- Nigeria – Gernot Rohr (Germany)
- South Korea – Shin Tae-yong (South Korea)
Foreign Coaches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
By the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the trend continued downward. Only 11 out of the 32 participating teams, or roughly 34%, were managed by foreign coaches.
Examples of Foreign Coaches in 2022:
- Ecuador – Gustavo Alfaro (Argentina)
- Iran – Carlos Queiroz (Portugal)
- Saudi Arabia – Hervé Renard (France)
- Mexico – Gerardo Martino (Argentina)
- South Korea – Paulo Bento (Portugal)
- Costa Rica – Luis Fernando Suárez (Colombia)
- Belgium – Roberto Martínez (Spain)
- Canada – John Herdman (England)
- Qatar – Félix Sánchez Bas (Spain)
Summary: Foreign Coaches Over Three World Cups
| World Cup Year | Foreign Coaches | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 14 | 44% |
| 2018 | 12 | 38% |
| 2022 | 11 | 34% |
Conclusion
Across the 2014, 2018, and 2022 FIFA World Cups, the reliance on foreign coaches gradually declined. In 2014, nearly half the national teams trusted a foreign manager, while by 2022, just over a third did.
This shift may indicate a growing confidence in domestic coaching talent or a broader change in how national teams are structured and supported globally. Nonetheless, foreign coaches have undeniably left their mark on the tournament, bringing tactical diversity and fresh perspectives to the world’s biggest sporting stage.