For 16 years, Otto Rehhagel has held the record as the oldest coach to lead a team at a World Cup.
The German was 71 when he took charge of Greece at the 2010 tournament in South Africa. It was his last appearance on the international stage, the end of a career that had reached its zenith when Rehhagel led Greece to the Euro 2004 title.
His record has survived 16 years but it won’t survive for much longer. In fact, it will be broken three separate times in the space of four days in the first week of the World Cup. Who are the three men who will break it?
Hugo Broos
The first man to take Rehhagel’s place will be South Africa coach Hugo Broos. When South Africa face hosts Mexico in the tournament’s opening match on 11 June, the Belgian will become the oldest coach ever to manage at a World Cup. Broos turned 74 in April, putting him comfortably beyond Rehhagel’s mark.
Broos has spent more than four decades in management and has become one of the most recognisable figures in African football. Since taking charge of South Africa in 2021, he has overseen a steady rebuilding process and led Bafana Bafana to a third-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations before finishing above Nigeria to secure their place at this summer’s World Cup. The record will belong to him when the tournament begins. It just will not belong to him for very long.
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos shares his thoughts after the 1-0 win against Ghana in a friendly match played at the Dobsonville Stadium on Tuesday, 16 December 2025.#BafanaPride@10bet_ZA @CastleLagerSA @HonorAfrica @Shield_ZA @SABC_Sport pic.twitter.com/s0Te120KYM
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) December 16, 2025
Miroslav Koubek
Later on the same day, Czechia’s match against South Korea will produce another change in the record books. Miroslav Koubek is also 74 years old but was born seven months before Broos. That means he will immediately become the oldest coach in World Cup history when he takes his place on the touchline in Guadalajara.
Strangely enough, Koubek had never previously managed a national team before being appointed by Czechia late in their qualifying campaign. He led the team to recovery from a damaging defeat to the Faroe Islands, defeating both Ireland and Denmark in penalty shootouts. His record will last even less time than Broos’s.
Dick Advocaat
The final holder of the record will keep it for a long time. Dick Advocaat, Curaçao manager. When Curaçao face Germany on 14 June, Advocaat will become the oldest coach ever to manage at a World Cup at the age of 78, four years older than Koubek. Advocaat’s long managerial career spanning 50 years has taken him across the globe. He has coached the Netherlands, South Korea, Russia, Serbia, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, as well as clubs in Europe and Asia, including PSV, Zenit, Rangers and Sunderland. This World Cup is likely to be his last outing on the international stage but his record will remain untouched.
Next stop… 🇺🇸
The Blue Wave travels to Florida today to start the final preparations for our first @FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/34cROp8Wkx
— Curaçao National Football Team (@TheBlueWaveFFK) June 8, 2026
