2030 World Cup managers predicted: England appoint Poch, Southgate rescues Germany after Klopp disgrace | OneFootball

The 2026 World Cup may have featured the strongest selection of coaches in the competition’s history; just wait until England steal Mauricio Pochettino.

It might seem a little early to start predicting the managers heading into the 2030 World Cup, but it is also ludicrously fun considering the ever-changing coaching landscape.

Using the eight pre-tournament favourites from the 2026 World Cup, we can reveal who will be in the dugout and for which nation in four years’ time.

Spain – Xabi Alonso

It would be impressive if, before he turns 50, Alonso were to burn through every viable dream job of what, at one stage, promised to be a generational coaching career.

The Real Madrid gig went up in flames after seven months, Bayern Munich take well to neither rejection, nor those who impinge on their divine right to win the Bundesliga, and many at Liverpool will consider Alonso’s union with Chelsea akin to cheating after everything they went through together in the mid-2000s.

Once Alonso meets his inevitable demise for failing to respect the Badge at Stamford Bridge, there will really only be one viable path remaining, one final box to tick: retirement.

But when he finds that lifestyle unexciting and the illustrious project itch returns, the Spain national team will be waiting.

France – Zinedine Zidane

He will take the France reins, serve a fraction of the time Didier Deschamps has, win two World Cups and a Euros and leave, his role as elite managerial vacancy left-field solution put forward by chin-stroking former player turned erudite podcast thinker eternally enshrined, with no-one any wiser as to whether he is actually any good.

And when Italy respond to their World Cup suspension by appointing Marco Materazzi, it will make Alan Pardew v Roberto Mancini look like a ballet performance.

England – Mauricio Pochettino

Thomas Tuchel, whether having nullified or augmented a great many years’ worth of pain this summer, will soon tire of the circus. It will be interesting to see what tips him over the edge: being asked about the national anthem, being asked about Jude Bellingham, being asked about his mother’s thoughts on Jude Bellingham or being asked whether it’s really a good idea to make Djed Spence the lifelong captain.

But tire he will.

And when he does, the clamour for England to be managed by an Englishman will be as strong as the potential pool of options is weak. Eddie Howe knows he cannot be responsible for making Jason Tindall the country’s assistant manager. Frank Lampard will get his chance but needs to put that Chelsea interim post as far behind him as possible. Graham Potter fundamentally remains Graham Potter.

So what better way to wind up all the right people than by following up the English national team rule of a German than with the reign of an Argentinean?

Maybe stick a Scott Parker-shaped disastrous Euros palate cleanser in the middle. But ensure that England are led into the next World Cup by Pochettino, whose Spurs ship sails further with each day Roberto De Zerbi builds an absurd amount of power in north London.

Pochettino will have World Cup experience, an undeniable love for the English game, and the perfect propensity for falling heartbreakingly short on the biggest stages.

Harry Kane will still be knocking around for England by then, too. And the inevitable appointment of Eric Dier as Pochettino’s right-hand man even sorts out his successor.

Argentina – Diego Simeone

Can’t be friends if you’re not on board with this.

Once Simeone and Atletico Madrid realise there is no obligation to simply stay forever together in what has become a largely loveless marriage, a whole new world will open up for The Cojone’d One: Saudi, Inter, following David Beckham everywhere trying to goad him into a petulant kick.

Argentina might appeal most. And specifically a post-Messi Argentina, no longer under the constraints of having to service the greatest player in the history of the sport, free to boot everyone around, embrace The Dark Arts and make Cristian Romero captain.

Simeone has softened with age and time at Atletico, embracing a more expansive, open style over the years. A World Cup should supercharge his instincts, break red card records and lead to every game being given its own ‘The Battle Of…’ Wikipedia page.

Portugal – Cristiano Ronaldo

It is pretty much the case now and has been for years, so they might as well make it official.

Brazil – Pep Guardiola

It used to come up every couple of years, the ambition Guardiola holds to manage a national team one day. With Manchester City – and very possibly his club coaching career as a whole – finally in the rear-view mirror, another sabbatical might energise that desire.

“Why not?” was his typically blasé response when asked in 2025 whether he would ever take up a role as far out as Brazil. “Many many good things in all history that happen in football, many, many good things come from South America. Especially Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, I would say all the countries, many, many good things. The greatest players come from there, and after most of them come to Europe because the opportunities are economically prestigious.”

Brazil would probably make it worth Guardiola’s while financially too. Brazil have broken the foreign seal with Carlo Ancelotti and now the pool of options is wider, they might as well go for the biggest fish possible.

Germany – Gareth Southgate

The obvious fantasy path is to install Jurgen Klopp as Germany manager to take an iconic Premier League rivalry global. But nah, the bloke is enjoying sipping his Red Bull while punditing and keeping on top of his Insta.

Maybe he’ll have a little go after Julian Nagelsmann falls on his sword following the defeat to Paraguay. There will be repercussions for failing to win a World Cup knock-out game since the 2014 final, with nothing better than a Euros quarter-final in between.

They could root-and-branch review the entire thing; it went pretty well last time Germany tried that. Or as the new England, they will accept that the best route is to simply let Southgate make them whole again.

Think about it: a national team in crisis after falling at the first knock-out hurdle of a major competition to an inferior opponent, having developed a complex over penalty shoot-outs.

Germany just need to find their Sam Allardyce, single-game disgrace of an appointment before getting Southgate in. It isn’t too difficult to envisage Klopp being embroiled in a pint-of-wine-adjacent scandal.

Netherlands – Louis van Gaal, Dick Advocaat, Guus Hiddink and Ronald Koeman

It will inevitably be one of their turns anyway. And what better tribute to a tournament with a preposterous six co-hosts than to go into it with four joint managers, each of whom have World Cup experience and know precisely what it takes to fail with the Dutch national team.

Frank de Boer can be appointed in the aftermath, with Arne Slot waiting patiently for his invitation to the merry-go-round.