The 2026 World Cup has begun with great expectations, as for the first time in history the tournament is taking place with 48 participating national teams.
The United States, Canada and Mexico are the hosts of the largest edition ever organized by FIFA, while the attention of fans is focused not only on the players, but also on the coaches who will lead the teams in the race for the most prestigious trophy in football.
Many of the favorite national teams are led by well-known names in European and world football, coaches who have won major trophies at club level during their careers and who now aim to write history with the national teams as well.
According to data published by Calcio e Finanza, the highest-paid coach of this World Cup is Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian, who took charge of Brazil after ending his successful adventure at Real Madrid, earns a whopping 10 million euros per year, a figure that puts him far at the top of the ranking.
Ancelotti is considered one of the most successful coaches in the history of football and the Brazilian Federation has spared no effort to bring him to the helm of the Selecao, with the clear aim of returning the national team to the world title.
He is followed by Thomas Tuchel, who manages England. The German earned €5.8m a year before his latest contract renewal and remains one of the most highly rated coaches in European football.
England are seen as one of the main contenders for the trophy and the pressure on Tuchel is extremely great.
Third place goes to Mauricio Pochettino, who leads the United States national team. The Argentine earns around 5 million euros net per year and is tasked with leading the host nation to a historic appearance at this World Cup.
Also among the five highest-paid coaches are Germany’s Julian Nagelsmann and Portugal’s Roberto Martinez. Both are considered among the most modern coaches in current football and are expected to play an important role in their teams’ performance in the tournament.
Meanwhile, the list also includes names with extraordinary experience such as Didier Deschamps, the 2018 world champion with France, Marcelo Bielsa, known for his unique playing philosophy, as well as Ronald Koeman, who continues to be an important figure in Dutch football.
Interestingly, the reigning world champions, Argentina, have no representatives among the tournament’s ten highest-paid coaches.
The same goes for Spain, another national team considered among the favorites to go far in the competition.
However, World Cup history has shown that salary does not guarantee success. In many cases, coaches with more modest salaries have achieved greater results than their higher-paid colleagues.
For this reason, attention now shifts to the field, where coaches will have to prove that the investment made in them has been justified.
Full ranking of the highest-paid coaches at the 2026 World Cup
1. Carlo Ancelotti (Brazil) – 10 million euros per year
2. Thomas Tuchel (England) – 5.8 million euros per year
3. Mauricio Pochettino (USA) – 5 million euros per year
4. Julian Nagelsmann (Germany) – €4.9 million per year
5. Roberto Martinez (Portugal) – 4 million euros per year
6. Didier Deschamps (France) – €3.8 million per year
7. Marcelo Bielsa (Uruguay) – 3.5 million euros per year
8. Ronald Koeman (Netherlands) – €3 million per year
9. Jesse Marsch (Canada) – 2.5 million euros per year
10. Javier Aguirre (Mexico) – 2.5 million euros per year
