France head coach Didier Deschamps wears a suit designed by the late designer Francesco Smalto.Buda Mendes/Getty Images
Like his players, France coach Didier Deschamps exudes style at the World Cup.
The 57-year-old former French captain, who ran Les Bleus from his defensive midfield role during his playing days, is a picture of elegant decorum in the dugout in his Francesco Smalto suit and open-necked shirt.
Smalto, an Italian-born designer who dressed everyone from actor Jean-Paul Belmondo to the king of Morocco, died in 2015 at age 87. But the fashion house he founded continues to clothe the French national team.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente is equally stylish in a suit and tie. He looks like he just walked out of the boardroom rather than the locker room, even when he ditched the tie for the second half of the quarter-final against Belgium.
De la Fuente was just as debonaire in a blazer and open-necked white shirt for the final group stage game against Uruguay. The stylish and versatile combo would work well for Sunday brunch.
Luis de la Fuente gestures to his players during Spain's win over Uruguay.Carl Recine/Getty Images
World Cup coaches, like their teams, come in different packages. It has made for a mixed fashion bag, according to Toronto designer Jim Searle, co-founder of Hoax Couture.
“For the most part we are not finding the fashion choices of the coaches inspired or inspiring – it seems to be a lot of dark suits, which is a puzzling choice in 35-degree weather,” said Searle.
England coach Thomas Tuchel's golf shirt typifies his relaxed approach.PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP/Getty Images
England coach Thomas Tuchel opted for a casual yet elegant approach, with a dark golf shirt, matching pants and white runners for the quarter-final against Norway.
Given the oppressive heat of Miami, it seemed a wise choice. It also allowed the expressive, occasionally bug-eyed German coach room to move on the sideline.
Norway coach Stale Solbakken also went for comfort in a white T-shirt, relaxed pants and white runners.
Swiss coach Murat Yakin, whose cool looks have drawn comparison to Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, also wore a classic white T-shirt while Argentina counterpart Lionel Scaloni was clad in a team-branded T-shirt for their quarter-final showdown in the Kansas City heat.
Scaloni gets a mixed review from Searle.
“Looks like he’s one of the team – but also looks like he has no interest in fashion or style,” said Searle. “But he’s confident and comfortable in his Adidas track suits.”
Argentina's Lionel Scaloni blends in with his squad in team-branded apparel.Agustin Marcarian/Reuters
Unlike some other sports, soccer offers a world of fashion opportunity to coaches on the sidelines.
NHL coaches almost invariably wear jacket and ties on the bench, sometimes with questionable colour combinations. NBA coaches and their legion of assistants have their own uniform, wearing the same team-branded gear each game, although they change up the style/model throughout the season.
CFL and NFL coaches essentially serve as models, sporting a variety of team hoodies, jackets and other clothing – most available for sale on the league website.
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But the wardrobe at the World Cup has been wide open.
Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti was a study of elegance, with a signature waistcoat under a stylish suit and tie. The 67-year-old Italian dresses for success, looking like he should be sitting in the VIP section of the stadium rather than the dugout.
Ancelotti looks cool no matter the temperature, although Searle was not convinced.
“Giving strong undertaker vibes – and he must be soooo hot,” the designer concluded.
Searing heat at the tournament didn't deter Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti, centre, from dressing to the nines.PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images
In a 2024 article, Europe’s NSS magazine lovingly detailed Ancelotti’s different looks during his club management career with Parma, Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton and Real Madrid again.
The magazine waxed poetic about Ancelotti’s look during his time in charge of Milan, noting “his style changes definitively, opting for more comfortable uniforms only during the team’s weekly training sessions.
“But then again, an elegant suit is needed to face the magical Champions League nights, which he became so fond of that he added a layer that soon became an iconic garment and symbol of Carlo Ancelotti – the blue cardigan.”
In contrast, Germany’s Julian Nagelsmann looked as if every match day at the World Cup was laundry day. The good news? There was one clean T-shirt left, albeit a boxy one, with similarly roomy pants.
“The 38-year-old German manager is known for his relaxed sense of style and has been seen skateboarding to practice in the past,” the English tabloid Sun newspaper explained. “During Germany’s game with Curacao, the manager, who has been with the team since 2023, not only changed tactics, but T-shirts as well.”
Added Searle: “He just gave up on trying to be stylish and opted for comfort – a chilling on the couch vibe.”
Julian Nagelsmann resigned from his position after Germany's premature exit in the round of 32.Megan Briggs/Getty Images
The DR Congo team, known as the Leopards, made quite an entrance in its first appearance at the tournament since 1974.
Searle gives a massive thumbs up to the Congo squad, which arrived in Houston wearing custom black suits by Congo-born, Paris-based designer Alvin Mak with leopard-print detailing and matching leopard bags and pins.
“The knockout fit of the whole World Cup so far,” Searle enthused.
Vogue magazine agreed.
“It had been 52 years. The Democratic Republic of Congo’s return to the World Cup had to be in style.”
Congo team officials stroll through Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport ahead of their tournament opener.TROY TAORMINA/Reuters
Uzbekistan coach Fabio Cannavaro showed he can pull off a simple T-shirt. The 52-year-old Italian, one of the greatest defenders to ever play the game, looks like he could still play. And with a shaved head and tattooed arms, he comes across as someone not to mess with.
Canada’s Jesse Marsch looked like he had just walked off the set of Reservoir Dogs with his skinny tie, white shirt and dark suit. The jacket usually didn’t last long as he prowled the sideline.
“Smart, clean tailoring – but dark suits and white shirts again. Maybe he’s channeling Men in Black,” said Searle.
The suit was courtesy of Samuelsohn, a Canadian men’s wear brand that was the “official fine clothing outfitter” to the men’s team.
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Marsch changed it up for the round of 32 win over South Africa, opting for casual pants and a Canada quarter-zip top.
The Canada coach has a sponsorship deal with Vancouver-based Duer, which touts its clothing as the “complete wardrobe for active living.”
Jesse Marsch celebrates Canada's win over South Africa in the round of 32.Lisi Niesner/Reuters
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino also came to the tournament with a brand. The Argentine wore Hugo Boss in the form of a navy shirt, above a white T-shirt, and matching pants with white Nike runners.
“The viral Hugo Boss work shirt style that he was sporting doesn’t do him any favours in the way it fits,” said Searle.
GQ profiled Pochettino, who was dubbed a Russell Crowe lookalike on social media.
South Africa coach Hugo Broos kept it simple, opting for a simple Adidas team T-shirt.
At 74, Hugo Broos is one of the oldest coaches in World Cup history.Eloisa Sanchez/Reuters
Uruguay’s Marcelo Bielsa wore a blue team-branded Nike polo short with his initials and matching track pants, looking as if he came with the nondescript cooler he often sat on during games.
At the other end of the spectrum, Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi was professorial in a grey suit and open-necked white shirt for his round of 32 game against the Netherlands.
He became even more dignified when he led his players in a prayer as they huddled in advance of the penalty shootout they would ultimately win to send the Dutch packing.
But with temperatures in excess of 30 Celsius in Guadalupe as the game kicked off, the jacket seemed unnecessary. Still, his subdued colour palate was a welcome counterbalance to the signature orange-highlighter strip of the Dutch players.
Dutch manager Ronald Koeman, one of the Oranje’s greatest players, went for simplicity in a blue T-shirt and grey pants. The comfort didn’t last long as Koeman quit the next day.
Japan's Hajime Moriyasu waves to fans in Arlington, Tex., after his team tied Sweden in the group stage.Tony Gutierrez/The Associated Press
Count Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu in the well-dressed department. The 57-year-old former midfielder looked like he had just stepped away from the boardroom wearing dress pants and a striped shirt and dark tie beneath a waistcoat.
He showed class after Japan fell victim to a stoppage-time goal in a 2-1 round of 32 loss to Brazil. Moriyasu and his players bowed to Japanese fans in the crowd.