Veljko Paunovic named new Serbia manager

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Gazeta Esportiva.com

·30 October 2025

Veljko Paunovic named new Serbia manager

Serbia appointed former Real Oviedo coach, Veljko Paunovic, as the new national team coach on Thursday, following the resignation of Dragan Stojkovic earlier this month.

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Paunovic, who led Serbia's under-20 team to the Under-20 World Cup title in 2015, will have the task of reviving the campaign in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

“His priority was not the contract or financial conditions, but being immediately available to take over the team at such an important moment,” stated the general secretary of the Serbian Football Federation, Branko Radujko.

Situation in the qualifiers

Serbia is in third place in Group K, one point behind Albania, which is in second and in the playoff zone. The team will face England, already qualified, at Wembley on November 13, and will host Latvia three days later, concluding their participation in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

“The result of these two matches will not affect Paunovic's future in any way,” added Radujko.

Stojkovic's departure

Dragan Stojkovic resigned on October 12, following the 1-0 defeat to Albania at home.

“This defeat should not have happened, and I accept responsibility,” declared Stojkovic after the match.

Under the interim command of Zoran Mirkovic, the team bounced back with a 3-1 victory over Andorra in the following match.

Paunovic's career and challenges

The new coach, Veljko Paunovic, has managed clubs such as Guadalajara, Tigres, Reading, and Chicago Fire. He was dismissed from Real Oviedo earlier this month when the team was in 17th place in the La Liga table.

Serbia has participated in three of the last four World Cups as an independent nation, but has yet to advance past the group stage.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.