Style on the touchline: how World Cup managers are dressing in 2026

While player jerseys reflect a nation’s football philosophy, the outfits worn by managers at the 2026 World Cup are fashion statements of their own.

Switzerland coach Murat Yakin had a giant P inscribed on his chest, a tribute to Pep Guardiola on the biggest stage. The tee was specially created by Puma to honour Guardiola’s ten years at Manchester City, and Yakin wore it proudly while defeating Canada 2-1. He had started in white, but was asked to switch to black since Canada were playing in white and it risked causing confusion on the touchline. The black version had Guardiola’s P too. Yakin mentioned he had them made in several colours.

Touchline fashion has caught attention this tournament for its personalised touches. USA coach Mauricio Pochettino has come a long way from his famous Sky Sports declaration, “Suit or tracksuit, I look good. I am handsome.” Not that far, though. The Argentine has stuck to a navy lightweight overshirt with matching wide-leg trousers and a white T-shirt, assembled by Hugo Boss.

USA head coach Mauricio Pochettino in action during FIFA World Cup 2026. (AP)

Brazil’s Italian boss Carlo Ancelotti brought his Real Madrid suit to the Selecao dugout. The three-piece in Miami heat was very Italian, the signature waistcoat and big buttons projecting clockwork authority, with Vinicius Jr and Lucas Paquetá handling the rest.

The suits are largely on brand, with small variations. Didier Deschamps codes his in les bleus. Mexico’s Javier Aguirre straps on a Mexican green tie. Canada’s Jesse Marsch, whose thin black tie has been photographed whipping around as he sheds his coat, grows visibly more frustrated as his side test his patience.

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With Spain’s Luis de la Fuente, the focus falls on the tie, a denim-print necktie dotted with tiny Spanish flags. He also wears a blue ribbon on his wrist, and his sneakers carry the colours of the Spanish flag.

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Beating every manager in the fashion stakes is Frenchman Hervé Renard and his lucky white shirts. They brought scant luck to a broken Tunisia side, who had sacked their previous coach after the opening match before turning to Renard, but the man who won two Africa Cups of Nations with Zambia and Ivory Coast, and helped Saudi Arabia defeat Messi’s Argentina in 2022, simply belongs at a World Cup. He wears his rugged tan with a crisp, creaseless, seemingly sweatless white shirt over black trousers. Comparisons to James Bond are inevitable, though the 57-year-old carries a more contemplative air. Renard pairs the look with white sneakers, a trend shared by Thomas Tuchel and Graham Arnold.

Tuchel, in fact, leads the all-black monochrome tendency, managers projecting authority to their players while receding into the background for everyone else. He is joined by Iran’s Amir Ghalenoei, who makes a black jacket feel like a formal ensemble, and Egypt’s Hossam Hassan. Uzbekistan’s Fabio Cannavaro favours bicep-hugging black tees as well, though his real fashion statement has always been his tattoos.

Ecuador head coach Sebastian Beccacece in action during FIFA World Cup 2026. (AP)

The standout look of the tournament belongs to Japan’s Hajime Moriyasu. The Japanese always arrive impeccably dressed, so the three-piece is expected. What makes Moriyasu the winner are his blue pinstriped shirts, understated signals of professionalism and creativity.

Germany’s Julian Nagelsmann, 38, has traded slim suits for baggy black tees and sweatpants, pragmatic perhaps, but a notable devolution. Brogues have given way to sports trainers. His white watch strap is the one flourish that remains. He has, however, had bigger concerns. “I have the feeling that the lens is photographing my nose hairs from a distance of one centimetre,” he said of the photographers stationed beside the dugout.

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Keeping a composed face despite his striped psychedelic tee becoming meme fodder is Ecuador’s Sebastien Beccacece. When the tournament began brightly, observers noted a resemblance to Messi with long blond hair. Now that results have turned, it is his outfits that are taking the heat.

Roberto Martinez and Lionel Scaloni have largely escaped sartorial scrutiny. They move with arms crossed tautly, anyway.