Africa will be represented by 10 nations at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which gets underway on June 11 across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Here is a look at the coaches leading Africa’s representatives at the global showpiece:
Sébastien Desabre (DR Congo)
Sébastien Desabre was appointed DR Congo head coach in August 2022, replacing Argentine Héctor Cúper, who was sacked after the Leopards lost their opening two matches of the 2023 AFCON qualifiers.
The Frenchman guided the side to the 2023 AFCON after overseeing a remarkable turnaround in the qualification campaign, finishing top of their group. DR Congo went on to finish fourth at the finals in Ivory Coast.
They also qualified for the 2025 AFCON but were eliminated by Algeria in the Round of 16.
Desabre’s biggest achievement came when he guided DR Congo to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ending a 52-year wait since their only previous appearance in 1974 when they competed as Zaire.
The former Uganda Cranes coach eliminated Nigeria and Cameroon during the African playoffs before overcoming Jamaica in the inter-confederation playoffs.
Emerse Faé (Ivory Coast)
Emerse Faé was appointed Ivory Coast head coach on a permanent basis in February 2024 after leading the Elephants to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations title.
The former midfielder had initially taken charge on an interim basis following the departure of Jean-Louis Gasset during the group stage, where the hosts suffered two defeats, including a record 4-0 home loss to Equatorial Guinea.
Despite progressing as the last of the four best third-placed teams, Faé inspired a remarkable turnaround in the knockout stages.
The Elephants eliminated defending champions Senegal on penalties before coming from behind with 10 men to beat Mali after extra time in the quarter-finals.
Faé represented Ivory Coast as a player, including at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was omitted from the final squad for the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
He will be hoping to guide the Elephants beyond the group stage for the first time in their history at a World Cup, with Ivory Coast drawn in Group E alongside Ecuador, Germany and Curaçao.
Mohamed Ouahbi (Morocco)
Mohamed Ouahbi was appointed Morocco head coach in March 2026, replacing Walid Regragui.
Regragui had guided the Atlas Lions to a historic semi-final appearance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, making Morocco the first African nation to reach the last four of the tournament.
Ouahbi, 49, was promoted from the national youth setup just three months before the World Cup.
Born in Brussels, Belgium, the Moroccan-Belgian began his coaching career at the age of 21 with Maccabi Brussels, where he worked with youth teams before joining Anderlecht’s academy.
He later served as assistant coach of Anderlecht’s senior team during the 2015-16 season and continued working with the club’s youth sides until 2021.
Ouahbi became Morocco U-20 coach in March 2022 and rebuilt the team through steady progress in regional competitions. He guided Morocco to the 2024 UNAF U-20 title and later a runners-up finish at the 2025 U-20 AFCON.
He then led Morocco to their first-ever FIFA U-20 World Cup title in Chile, defeating the USA, France and Argentina along the way.
In December 2025, he was promoted to coach the Morocco U-23 side before eventually taking charge of the senior national team ahead of the World Cup.
Morocco have been drawn in Group B alongside Brazil, Scotland and Haiti.
Pape Thiaw (Senegal)
Pape Thiaw was officially appointed Senegal head coach on December 13, 2024, succeeding Aliou Cissé.
He had been serving in an interim capacity after a successful spell with Senegal’s local-based national team.
A former Senegal international striker, Thiaw featured alongside Cissé during the country’s historic run to the quarter-finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
As a coach, he guided Senegal’s CHAN team to the 2022 African Nations Championship title before joining the senior setup.
Since taking charge permanently, he has successfully led the Lions of Teranga to qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
He now carries the responsibility of helping Senegal replicate their 2002 heroics as they prepare to face France,Norway and Iraq in Group I.
Sabri Lamouchi (Tunisia)
French-Tunisian coach Sabri Lamouchi was appointed Tunisia head coach in January 2026 following the dismissal of Sami Trabelsi.
Trabelsi was relieved of his duties less than 24 hours after Tunisia’s elimination by Mali on penalties in the Round of 16 at the 2025 AFCON.
Born in Lyon and of Tunisian heritage, Lamouchi has previously managed Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City in England, while also coaching Ivory Coast between 2012 and 2014.
During his playing career, the midfielder represented clubs including Monaco, Marseille and Inter Milan. He also earned 12 caps for France, scoring once.
Tunisia have appeared at six FIFA World Cups — 1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018 and 2022 — but have never progressed beyond the group stage.
They will face Sweden, Japan and the Netherlands in Group F.
Hossam Hassan (Egypt)
Hossam Hassan was appointed Egypt head coach in February 2024, replacing Rui Vitória after the Pharaohs’ disappointing AFCON campaign.
He guided Egypt to the semi-finals of the 2025 AFCON, where they were eliminated by Senegal.
Hassan is assisted by his twin brother, Ibrahim Hassan.
One of Egypt’s greatest footballers, Hassan played for clubs including Al Ahly and Zamalek and represented the national team at the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
The 57-year-old has previously coached Zamalek, Ismaily, Pyramids, Al Ittihad Alexandria and Al-Masry, among others. He also managed Jordan between 2013 and 2014.
He guided Egypt through the World Cup qualifiers unbeaten in a group that included Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia and Djibouti.
Egypt’s previous World Cup appearances came in 1934, 1990 and 2018.
Having never won a World Cup match, Hassan will be aiming to make history when Egypt face Belgium, Iran and New Zealand in Group G.
Carlos Queiroz (Ghana)
Carlos Queiroz was appointed Ghana head coach in April 2026, less than two months before the World Cup.
The 73-year-old Portuguese replaced Otto Addo, who was dismissed following a series of disappointing results.
Ghana have endured difficult years, missing out on the 2025 AFCON after group-stage exits in both the 2021 and 2023 editions.
Addo had, however, guided the Black Stars to qualification for the 2026 World Cup, having also led them to the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Queiroz now faces the task of steering Ghana through a challenging Group L featuring Panama, England and Croatia.
The veteran coach previously served as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant at Manchester United and has managed Real Madrid, Portugal, Iran, Egypt, Colombia, South Africa and Japan.
Ghana have appeared at four FIFA World Cups — 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2022 — with their quarter-final run in 2010 remaining the country’s best performance.
Vladimir Petković (Algeria)
Algeria appointed Bosnian coach Vladimir Petković in February 2024 following the departure of Djamel Belmadi.
Belmadi left after Algeria’s disappointing group-stage exit at the 2023 AFCON.
Petković led Algeria at the 2025 AFCON, where they reached the quarter-finals before being eliminated by Nigeria.
He previously spent seven years in charge of Switzerland, leading them to the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 2020 after a memorable victory over France in the Round of 16.
His coaching résumé also includes spells at Lazio and Bordeaux.
A former midfielder, Petković played for clubs including Sarajevo, Sion and Bellinzona.
Algeria have qualified for six FIFA World Cups and reached the Round of 16 in 2014 before losing to Germany.
Hugo Broos (South Africa)
Belgian coach Hugo Broos has been in charge of South Africa since 2021.
He replaced fellow Belgian Molefi Ntseki, who was dismissed after Bafana Bafana failed to qualify for the 2021 AFCON.
Broos guided South Africa to both the 2023 and 2025 AFCON tournaments. They reached the semi-finals in 2023 before being eliminated by Nigeria, while Cameroon knocked them out in the Round of 16 in 2025.
At the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, South Africa topped Group C ahead of Nigeria, Benin, Lesotho, Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
A former central defender, Broos played for Anderlecht and Club Brugge and represented Belgium at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
As a coach, he famously guided Cameroon to the 2017 AFCON title.
He will be aiming to take South Africa beyond the group stage for the first time after appearances in 1998, 2002 and 2010.
South Africa begin their campaign against Mexico on June 11 before facing South Korea and the Czech Republic.
Pedro “Bubista” Brito (Cape Verde)
Pedro Leitão Brito, popularly known as Bubista, was appointed Cape Verde head coach on January 29, 2020.
He succeeded Rui Águas, who left the role in December 2019.
Under his leadership, the Blue Sharks have achieved unprecedented success, including qualifying for their first-ever FIFA World Cup.
Bubista was named CAF Men’s Coach of the Year in 2025 after guiding Cape Verde to historic achievements, including a quarter-final appearance at the 2023 AFCON.
During his playing career, the central defender featured for clubs in Portugal, Angola and Spain before captaining Cape Verde’s national team.
Following retirement, he managed several domestic clubs, including Mindelense, Académica do Mindelo, Sporting Praia and Batuque.
He guided Cape Verde to the World Cup after topping a qualification group that included Cameroon, Libya, Angola, Mauritius and Eswatini.
The Blue Sharks begin their World Cup campaign against Spain on June 15 before facing Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in Group H.
CREDIT:- sportsnationuganda.com
