The managers with the most World Cup matches ever
· Yahoo Sports
Didier Deschamps has left his post as France manager with the record of most FIFA World Cup matches.
Visit orlando-books.blog for more information.
The former Juventus captain spent 14 years in charge of Les Bleus, his crowning glory being the team’s World Cup win in 2018.
Deschamps’ France reached the final again four years later, as well the Euro 2016 decider, but didn’t win either match, leaving one of the most star-studded sides of all time with just one trophy.
Nonetheless, the 57-year-old’s longevity was impressive and his name will go down in the record books as one of the few players to win the greatest trophy in international as both a player and a manager.
We’ve ranked the head coaches who managed more games at the World Cup than anyone else below.
The managers with the most FIFA World Cup matches ever:
1. Didier Deschamps: 27 matches
Deschamps captained France to their first star in 1998 and their second one as manager in 2018. He is the third person to do so as a player and head coach, and only the third to do it as a captain.
In 2026, the Frenchman became only the third man after Walter Winterbottom and Helmut Schön to manage the same team at four consecutive World Cups. He also holds the record for most matches won (20) in the competition.
2. Helmut Schön: 25 matches
Under Helmut Schön, West Germany finished first, second and third in the World Cup. His 14-year reign also saw Die Mannschaft win the European Championship in 1972 and finish as runners-up in 1976.
3. Carlos Alberto Parreira: 23 matches
Carlos Alberto Parreira has been to more World Cups than any other head coach, managing five different teams at six editions of the tournament. He led his native Brazil to glory at USA 94 and later managed the national team again at Germany 2006. He has also led Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and South Africa at the World Cup.
4. Luiz Felipe Scolari: 21 matches
‘Big Phil’ took over a Brazil team in crisis and at risk of not qualifying for the World Cup for the first time ever in 2001. Just over a year later he lifted the trophy after beating Germany in the final.
Later that same year, Scolari took over Portugal, leading them to the final of Euro 2004, where they lost to Greece. He took the side to the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup.
Scolari returned as Brazil manager ahead of the 2014 World Cup, once again leading his team to the last four. But they were humiliated by Germany, who beat them 7-1 on home soil.
=5. Bora Milutinovic: 20 matches
Serbian coach Velibor “Bora” Milutinović has the distinction of managing five different teams at five consecutive World Cups: Mexico (1986), Costa Rica (1990), the United States (1994), Nigeria (1998) and China (2002). He is also the first manager to take four teams beyond the first round, with only China failing to get out of the group stage.
=5. Oscar Tabarez: 20 matches
‘El Maestro’ first took Uruguay to the World Cup in 1990, when he guided them to their first victory in the competition for 20 years. They had to wait 20 years for their next win during his second stint in charge.
Tabarez spent 15 years in charge, taking Uruguay to three consecutive World Cups, which included their run to the semi-finals in 2010. A run of poor results saw him sacked in 2021, denying him the chance to coach at a fifth World Cup. He holds the record for the most games with one national team.
=5. Mario Zagallo: 20 matches
The first person to win the World Cup as a player and a manager, Mario Zagallo was part of the Brazil teams that won in 1958 and 1962 and then coached them to glory in 1970. He was also an assistant coach when they won in 1994.
In his third spell in charge, Zagallo led Brazil to the final at France 98, where they lost to the hosts.
Read – The best World Cup records broken in the 2026 knockout stage
Read More – Rodri, Mbappe and every award winner from FIFA World Cup 2026
See Also – Five weird and wonderful World Cup final stories