World Cup 2026: Scaloni or de la Fuente, the trend of homegrown champions continues

19.07.26 AET World Cup

Spain

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Argentina

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The clash between Argentina and Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, set for Sunday, July 19 (7 p.m. GMT) in New York, will feature a head-to-head between managers Lionel Scaloni and Luis de la Fuente.

The presence of an Argentine in charge of his national team and a Spaniard at the helm of La Roja highlights a persistent trend: No nation has ever won the World Cup with a foreign coach.

This trend was confirmed after England were knocked out by Argentina last Wednesday in the semi-finals. The German coach will not lift the trophy with the Three Lions and thus won't become the first foreigner to break the rule.

It's worth noting that Lionel Scaloni could become only the second manager to win the trophy more than once, after Vittorio Pozzo, who triumphed with Italy in 1934 and 1938.

• 1930: Alberto Suppici (Uruguay)

• 1934: Vittorio Pozzo (Italy)

• 1938: Vittorio Pozzo (Italy)

• 1950: Juan López (Uruguay)

• 1954: Sepp Herberger (Germany)

• 1958: Vicente Feola (Brazil)

• 1962: Aymoré Moreira (Brazil)

• 1966: Sir Alf Ramsey (England)

• 1970: Mario Zagallo (Brazil)

• 1974: Helmut Schön (Germany)

• 1978: César Luis Menotti (Argentina)

• 1982: Enzo Bearzot (Italy)

• 1986: Carlos Bilardo (Argentina)

• 1990: Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)

• 1994: Carlos Alberto Parreira (Brazil)

• 1998: Aimé Jacquet (France)

• 2002: Luiz Felipe Scolari (Brazil)

• 2006: Marcello Lippi (Italy)

• 2010: Vicente del Bosque (Spain)

• 2014: Joachim Löw (Germany)

• 2018: Didier Deschamps (France)

• 2022: Lionel Scaloni (Argentina)

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.

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