FIFA World Cup winning managers

Learn who the FIFA World Cup Winning managers are! Discover year-by-year, which managers have lifted the coveted trophy, and what their nationalities are!

Since the World Cup began back in 1930, many legendary managers have led various nations to lifting the most sought-after international trophy in world football.

As we head into the 2026 tournament, it’s also interesting to consider who might be the next manager to get their hands on the prize themselves.

So below, this blog will cover everything from which managers have lifted the trophy, to the countries with the most winning managers, and whether any managers have won the World Cup more than once! 

World Cup winning managers by year

Below is a table that summarises every World Cup winning manager over the years, showing the nation they managed and their own nationality.

Looking toward the 2026 edition, it’ll be interesting to watch who manages the next World Cup tournament winner and see if any new coaches can add themselves to the exclusive club!

Has any manager won the World Cup more than once?

Yes, but only one manager has managed to lift the World Cup more than once!

Vittorio Pozzo won Italy back-to-back World Cups in 1934 and 1938, carving his name into the history books. He’s considered by many to be the greatest manager in World Cup history, with no others yet to manage this feat. His 1934 tournament saw him achieve impressive victories such as a 7-1 win over the USA, a 1-0 win over Spain, and a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in the final. The 1938 tournament was then highlighted by wins such as a 2-1 victory over Brazil and a 4-2 victory in the final against Hungary.

Only two current managers can aim to match this tally in 2026, as Didier Deschamps and Lionel Scaloni are the only active international managers who’ve already won the tournament. So, let’s wait and see if Pozzo can keep his record as the only manager to win multiple World Cups for another four years!

Which countries have produced the most World Cup winning managers?

Now that you’re aware of the managers who’ve won the World Cup so far, let’s take a look into the nations with the managers who’ve won the tournament the most. Below is a table of the World Cup winning nations.

Has a foreign manager ever won the World Cup?

If you’ve looked carefully at the tables so far, you may have noticed that no foreign manager has ever won the World Cup!

However, heading into the 2026 World Cup, there are plenty of foreign managers that are in charge of various nations. This includes Thomas Tuchel with England, Carlo Ancelotti with Brazil, Roberto Martinez with Portugal, and Mauricio Pochettino with the USA!

Both Tuchel and Ancelotti will also have the extra motivation to become the World Cup tournament winner, as they’ll be aiming to make it five World Cup wins for German and Italian managers. This would put their nations level with Brazil as having the most managers to have won the tournament.

Whether this can happen or not is yet to be seen, but England, Brazil, and Portugal are all up there as some of the favourites with top players at their disposal. Considering the USA is also a host of the tournament, who knows what could happen on home soil?