World Cup 2026 Coaches (B) Trivia Quiz

Answer: Marcelo Bielsa

Marcelo Bielsa is the coach of team Uruguay whose high-pressing, relentless style has influenced some of the the world's greatest coaches. In fact, many of his former players have gone on to have great coaching experiences, like Mauricio Pochettino and Andoni Iraola. He has a storied career, and some of his accolades include winning three Argentine Primera División titles, leading Argentina to Olympic gold in 2004, and achieving British cult status by masterminding Leeds United's return to the English Premier League. He has led two other national teams, Argentina and Chile, before taking over the Uruguayan national team.

Senior team coaching resumé:
Newell's Old Boys
Atlas
América
Vélez Sarsfield
Espanyol
Argentina
Chile
Athletic Bilbao
Marseille
Lazio
Lille
Leeds United
Uruguay

Answer: Mohamed Ouahbi

Mohamed Ouahbi built an exceptional reputation as an elite youth development specialist. He started in his native Belgium before shifting to where his heritage comes from - Morocco. Following a highly-successful multi-decade tenure shaping future stars within Anderlecht's academy system, Ouahbi transitioned into international management, successfully steering Morocco's Under-20 national team toward competitive dominance across African and global youth tournaments, including their first-ever U20 World Cup title. Will this translate to the men's team? Well, they were successful at AFCON before he came along, so, let's see!

Senior team coaching resumé:
Morocco

Answer: Sebastian Beccacece

Sebastián Beccacece transitioned from being a long-time assistant coach into a highly animated, successful frontline manager in South American football. He achieved continental glory by masterminding Defensa y Justicia's dramatic 2021 Recopa Sudamericana triumph over Palmeiras, earning immense praise for his intense, attacking tactical philosophy. After trying his hand briefly at managing European football, he was asked to take over as the national coach for Ecuador.

Senior team coaching resumé:
Universidad de Chile
Defensa y Justicia (two stints with youth in between)
Independiente
Racing Club
Defensa y Justicia (third stint)
Elche
Ecuador

Answer: Zlatko Dalic

Zlatko Dalić provides a calm, pragmatic counterweight to Croatia's highly technical midfield. Taking over during a qualification crisis in 2017, he managed to salvage the team's chances and squeak into World Cup 2018. He followed this up by securing a bronze medal at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and winning a silver medal at the 2023 UEFA Nations League Final. Before that, he had successes with teams from his native Croatia, Albania, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

Senior team coaching resumé:
Varteks
Rijeka
Dinamo Tirana
Slaven Belupo
Al Faisaly
Al Hilal
Al Ain
Croatia

Answer: Emerse Fae

Emerse Faé pulled off one of the strangest rescues in tournament history, ever. When the Ivory Coast unprecedentedly sacked their manager mid-tournament during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations group stage, Faé was the assistant coach. He stepped up as the interim boss, instantly repaired the squad's broken morale, and rattled off four straight knockout wins to capture the trophy. He then led the squad to qualify for their first World Cup since 2014.

Senior team coaching resumé:
Clermont B
Ivory Coast

Answer: Néstor Lorenzo

Néstor Lorenzo, a long-time assistant finally turned head coach is the manager of the Colombian national team. Lorenzo built his career working in the shadows under José Pékerman for both Argentina and Colombia, giving him a taste for international football. When he finally took full charge of Colombia in 2022, his balanced defensive structure and clever use of veteran playmaker James Rodríguez sparked a multi-year undefeated streak reaching the 2024 Copa América Final, where they narrowly lost to Argentina.

Senior team coaching resumé:
Melgar
Colombia

Answer: Murat Yakin

Murat Yakin is a defensive pragmatist who loves to take apart heavy favourites, much to their frustration. After winning consecutive Swiss titles with Basel, he shifted his focus to Russia briefly before returning to Switzerland. When he took over the national team, he was thrust into continental tournaments. His team famously eliminated France from Euro 2020, knocked out Italy at Euro 2024, and qualified for World Cup 2022 with a little help from the Northern Irish. As a show of gratitude, he sent the Irish several kilograms of Swiss chocolates. Now, the Swiss have requalified for the World Cup 2026 under Yakin and hope to keep pushing upwards.

Senior team coaching resumé:
FC Frauenfeld
Thun
Luzern
Basel
Spartak Moscow
Schaffhausen
Grasshoppers
Sion
Schaffhausen (second stint)
Switzerland

Answer: Graham Potter

Graham Potter is an unconventional manager who is regarded as a thinker. He holds a Masters degree in Leadership: Personal & Professional Development, an unconventional but effective way to understand his squads and to relate to them. He regularly gives talks about emotional intelligence and tries to use his expertise to improve the morale and cohesiveness of his players. Thus, Potter was able to tak Swedish minnows Östersund from the fourth division all the way to beating Arsenal in the Europa League. His emphasis on fluid positional rotations and tactical flexibility later transformed Brighton into a Premier League force. Despite unsuccessful campaigns with Chelsea and West Ham, Potter was appointed manager of the Swedish national team, securing their berth in the World Cup.

Senior team coaching resumé:
Leeds Carnegie
Östersund
Swansea City
Brighton & Hove Albion
Chelsea
West Ham United
Sweden

Answer: Hajime Moriyasu

Hajime Moriyasu is a patient tactician who favours structural discipline over individual stardom, a trait that brought him three domestic league titles with Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Leading Japan, his clever mid-game formation shifts engineered stunning, come-from-behind group-stage upsets against heavy favourites Germany and Spain, both by the score of 2-1, at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He hopes to better his result in the 2026 World Cup.

Senior team coaching resumé:
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Japan

Answer: Mauricio Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino is a manager renowned for high-pressing football and consistent youth player development. After a successful playing career, he became a manager and managed to save Espanyol from being relegated after a previously-plagued season. He then shifted his focus to the Premier League and had success with Southampton before he transformed Tottenham Hotspur into a English Premier League title contender, most importantly, he guided them to their first UEFA Champions League Final in 2019. He also was able to win major domestic silverware during his tenure with Paris Saint-Germain. He came back to England to coach Chelsea before being selected to coach the United States Men's National Team. With them, he's faced success as well as controversy, and hopes to improve in the World Cup.

Senior team coaching resumé:
Espanyol
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
Paris Saint-Germain
Chelsea
USA

Answer: Ralf Rangnick

In the football world, Ralf Rangnick is universally revered as the "Godfather of Gegenpressing". He is a visionary director and coach who fundamentally revolutionized modern German (and consequently, European and then worldwide) football tactics. He masterminded the historic, multi-tier rise of the entire Red Bull football empire before translating his high-intensity/high-press/high-energy philosophy to the international stage, transforming the Austrian national team into a highly feared, aggressive European powerhouse. Making it to the round of 16 in Euro 2024, the Ragnick hopes to translate this to success in World Cup 2026.

Senior team coaching resumé:
FC Viktoria Backnang
VfB Stuttgart II
TSV Lippoldsweiler
SC Korb
Reutlingen 05
Ulm 1846
VfB Stuttgart
Hannover 96
Schalke 04
TSG Hoffenheim
Schalke 04
RB Leipzig
Manchester United
Austria

Answer: Javier Aguirre

Javier Aguirre is unique in his football management, having coached both in North America and in Europe, as well as national teams in three continents. He is celebrated for his fierce motivational leadership. "El Vasco" (due to his family's origins in Basque country) captured domestic championship glory with Pachuca, masterminded deep cup runs with Osasuna and Mallorca in La Liga, and successfully guided the Mexican national team across multiple distinct tenures through highly high-pressure FIFA World Cup campaigns and a scandal.

Senior team coaching resumé:
Atlante
Pachuca
Mexico
Osasuna
Atlético Madrid
Mexico (second stint)
Zaragoza
Espanyol
Japan
Al-Wahda
Egypt
Leganés
Monterrey
Mallorca
Mexico (third stint)