World Cup 2026 Coaches Trivia Quiz

Answer: Didier Deschamps

Didier Deschamps stands as one of international football's ultimate winners, securing an elite legacy by capturing the FIFA World Cup both as a player and a manager. He masterminded France's modern golden era, guiding Les Bleus to global glory in 2018 and navigating them back to the final in 2022, alongside a UEFA Nations League triumph in 2021.

Senior team coaching resumé:
Monaco
Juventus
Marseille
France

Answer: Luis de la Fuente

Luis de la Fuente has built a highly successful career within the Spanish national setup by transforming youth-level excellence into senior international success. After winning European titles with Spain's Under-19 and Under-21 teams, he advanced to the senior role, capturing the 2023 UEFA Nations League and later guiding La Roja to UEFA Euro 2024 victory.

Senior team coaching resumé:
Portugalete
Aurrerá
Bilbao Athletic
Alavés
Spain (several levels before he was appointed senior team coach)

Answer: Thomas Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel is widely recognized as an tactical innovator of the highest levels capable of delivering major silverware on European club football's biggest stages. He guided Paris Saint-Germain to a domestic treble and a Champions League final, famously conquered Europe by winning the 2021 Champions League with Chelsea, and subsequently secured a German Bundesliga title while leading Bayern Munich. With the troubled England squad, however, he has had to battle criticism on team selection and tactics, despite having guided them to be the first European team to qualify for the tournament.

Senior team coaching resumé:
FC Augsburg II
Mainz 05
Borussia Dortmund
Paris Saint-Germain
Chelsea
Bayern Munich
England

Answer: Roberto Martínez

Cristiano Ronaldo is not the easiest player to manage, so I've read, but Roberto Martínez is able to take the Portugal squad and achieves with it. He came to the team off the back of a great showing with Belgium at the 2018 World Cup, where he took a team of previously-underperforming stars and led them to a third-place finish. Of course, with Portugal he had to up the ante -- he coached the team to an undefeated qualification and helped them reach the quarterfinals where they lost on penalties to France. They then topped their group in qualifying for the World Cup with four wins and a draw, their only loss coming against Ireland.

Senior team coaching resumé:
Swansea City
Wigan Athletic
Everton
Belgium
Portugal

Answer: Julian Nagelsmann

When you're young and untested, usually, expectations aren't very high. However, Julian Nagelsmann rose rapidly as a very young manager, breaking records as the youngest permanent manager in Bundesliga, the youngest manager to win a Champion's League game, the youngest manager to manage 100 Bundesliga games, to name a few. With Hoffenheim, Nagelsmann took a relegation-threatened team and saved them, then, in the next season, shot them up to fourth place, then third. With Leipzig, he had Champion's League successes and made it all the way to the semifinals. Finally, he secured elite domestic silverware by winning the Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich before taking over the German national team, successfully revitalizing the squad for a highly competitive modern era.

Senior team coaching resumé:
TSG Hoffenheim
RB Leipzig
Bayern Munich
Germany

Answer: Carlo Ancelotti

When Carlo Ancelotti took over as the manager of Brazil, he held the amazing distinction as the most decorated manager in UEFA Champions League history. Celebrated for his calm, expert man-management, "Don Carlo" achieved the extraordinary milestone of becoming the first and only manager to win domestic league titles across all five of Europe's traditional major top-flight divisions. Now, will that translate to international success? In a team where the squad is sometimes chosen as politics, it can be difficult, but if anyone can overcome the noise, it's "Carletto".

Senior team coaching resumé:
Reggiana
Parma
Juventus
AC Milan
Chelsea
Paris Saint-Germain
Real Madrid
Bayern Munich
Napoli
Everton
Real Madrid (second stint)
Brazil

Answer: Lionel Scaloni

Answer truthfully: Where was Argentina's football program before Lionel Scaloni? If you said something along the lines of "dead in the water", you wouldn't be that far off. The locker room was toxic, and the team was unhappy. Argentina hired Scaloni in 2018 to make a difference, after a 'coup' by its players. Having only coached at the junior national level, AFA knew that it would be a bit of a risk, however, boy, did that risk ever pay off, with dividends. He snapped the nation's devastating 28-year trophy drought by winning the 2021 Copa América, captured the Finalissima, and masterminded Argentina's triumphant, legendary run to lift the 2022 FIFA World Cup trophy in Qatar and the 2024 Copa America to boot.

Senior team coaching resumé:
Argentina

Answer: Ronald Koeman

When he became a manager, Ronald Koeman already commanded a deep respect throughout European football with his illustrious playing career. Already known for having a good eye on the pitch, teams realized that Koeman would have a great eye on the touchline as well. Thus, he has also achieved a highly regarded managerial journey with mixed success across major clubs in Europe. He secured domestic league titles in the Netherlands with two clubs, Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, captured a Copa del Rey with Barcelona, and successfully guided the Dutch national team back onto the major international tournament circuit, even reaching the semifinals of the 2024 Euro Cup.

Senior team coaching resumé:
Vitesse
Ajax
Benfica
PSV
Valencia
AZ
Feyenoord
Southampton
Everton
Netherlands
Barcelona
Netherlands (second stint)

Answer: Stĺle Solbakken

Stĺle Solbakken established himself as a saviour of teams when he was asked to coach his first club as a player and managed to promote them, keep them in the top tier, and reach a fifth-place finish. This earned him the nickname "Stĺle Salvatore". He was also an elite club manager in Denmark when he transformed FC Copenhagen into a dominant regional force. He captured eight Danish Superliga titles and engineered historic UEFA Champions League group-stage advancements before transitioning into international management in 2020. He took charge of the stacked Norwegian national team and is projected to do great things with them. Will Haaland perform for Solbakken in the World Cup? We can expect a goal or two to shake the back of the net...

Senior team coaching resumé:
Hamarkameratene
Copenhagen
1. FC Köln
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Copenhagen (again)
Norway

Answer: Vincenzo Montella

Vincenzo Montella transitioned from his celebrated Italian playing career into a highly regarded manager across Europe, including in some of the clubs he played for. He earned critical acclaim by guiding Fiorentina to successive top-four Serie A finishes. He also secured silverware by winning the Supercoppa Italiana with AC Milan. Finally, he achieved widespread international praise by successfully guiding Turkey in Euro 2024 where they lost in the quarter-finals. Under his leadership, Turkey managed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 24 years.

Senior team coaching resumé:
Roma
Catania
Fiorentina
Sampdoria
AC Milan
Sevilla
Fiorentina (again)
Adana Demirspor
Turkey

Answer: Pape Thiaw

Perhaps the coach with the least proven track record at the club level, Pape Bouna Thiaw rapidly emerged as a coaching talent within Pan-African football by translating his national playing experience into instant success. He masterminded Senegal A's historic victory at the 2022 African Nations Championship (which only uses domestic-based players) before ascending to the senior team. He successfully secured qualification for the Lions of Teranga to the FIFA World Cup and also made it to the final of the Arica Cup of Nations where the team faced controversy and the game was awarded to the hosts, Morocco.

Senior team coaching resumé:
Niarry Tally
Senegal

Answer: Rudi Garcia

So, Belgium has been ranked #1 in FIFA rankings at times... but it never translated to trophies. Is the answer Rudi Garcia? With a very long pedigree of successful coaching gigs, Garcia built a highly respected European resume defined by attacking football and historic domestic triumphs. He achieved legendary status in French football by masterminding an extraordinary domestic double with Lille in 2010-11, capturing both the Ligue 1 title and the Coupe de France, even with the likes of PSG to contend with. He also orchestrated deep European runs with both Roma and Olympique Lyonnais.

Senior team coaching resumé:
Corbeil-Essonnes
Saint-Étienne
Dijon
Le Mans
Lille
Roma
Marseille
Lyon
Al Nassr
Napoli
Belgium