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England and Belgium make history with foreign managers in World Cup quarter-finals
England, led by German Thomas Tuchel, and Belgium, coached by Frenchman Rudi Garcia, reached the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup, achieving a first since 1978. The tournament began with 27 teams under foreign managers.
The 2026 World Cup shows how central the role of foreign managers has become in national team football. Among the eight teams that reached the quarter-finals, only England and Belgium are led by foreign names. These two teams, under German Thomas Tuchel and Frenchman Rudi Garcia, are the first foreign coaches to reach this stage of a World Cup since 1978.
Tuchel takes England to the quarter-finals
England, having previously failed to achieve the desired success with Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello, began a new era by bringing in German Thomas Tuchel. Tuchel guided his team past the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mexico to reach the quarter-finals. England's opponent in this round will be Norway, who caused a surprise by eliminating Brazil in the last 16.
Belgium's tradition of foreign coaches
Belgium is no stranger to foreign managers. The Red Devils finished third in 2018 under Spaniard Roberto Martinez. Now, under Frenchman Rudi Garcia, they beat hosts USA 4-1 to reach the quarter-finals, with Spain up next.
Brazil's Ancelotti project
Five-time world champions Brazil took a historic step by appointing Italian Carlo Ancelotti. Although they have yet to make the expected breakthrough under Ancelotti, the Brazilian Football Federation showed its faith in the project by extending his contract until the next World Cup before the tournament.
National pride and changing football philosophy
Author Simon Kuper told Reuters that the belief that a national team coach should be local is linked to concepts of national pride and authenticity. Kuper said many people see a foreign coach as an approach that is "akin to cheating" or "unoriginal".
The impact of globalisation
Kuper stated that globalisation has brought football styles closer together and that one can now speak of an "international style" based on intense physical effort, positional interchange and organised team play. He stressed that when traditional methods fail to bring success, major federations become more open to the foreign coach option. Kuper said, "As England did first with Eriksson and then with Capello, this is an admission that the current model no longer works."
The 2026 World Cup will not only determine the champion but also shape the future of the deep-rooted tradition in the management of national teams.
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