African national team coaches in 2026: the full list

Published on September 29, 2026

After the 2026 World Cup, many African national teams changed coach to begin a new cycle ahead of AFCON 2027. Who coaches Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa or Senegal? Here is the list of head coaches of Africa's main national teams, country by country.

List up to date as of September 2026, at the start of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers. It will be updated whenever a change occurs.

West Africa

Country	Head coach
Nigeria	Éric Chelle
Ghana	Carlos Queiroz
Senegal	Patrick Vieira
Ivory Coast	Hervé Renard
Mali	Da Silva
Guinea	Paulo Duarte
Burkina Faso	Amir Abdou
Benin	Gernot Rohr
Togo	Patrice Neveu
Niger	Nabil Neghiz
Mauritania	Aritz López Garai
The Gambia	Jonathan McKinstry

North Africa

Country	Head coach
Egypt	Hossam Hassan
Morocco	Mohamed Ouahbi
Algeria	Brahim Hemdani
Tunisia	Moïne Chaâbani

Central Africa

Country	Head coach
Cameroon	David Pagou
DR Congo	Sébastien Desabre
Congo	Claude Le Roy
Gabon	Sébastien Migné
Central African Republic	Éloge Enza-Yamissi

East Africa, Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean

Country	Head coach
South Africa	Pitso Mosimane
Kenya	Benni McCarthy
Tanzania	Miguel Ángel Gamondi
Comoros	Hubert Velud
Madagascar	Corentin Martins

The new faces of 2026

Pitso Mosimane (South Africa) One of the most successful club coaches in the history of African football returns to Bafana Bafana, whom he previously led between 2010 and 2012.

Carlos Queiroz (Ghana) The experienced Portuguese coach, who has managed several national teams at World Cups, is back on the Black Stars' bench for the AFCON 2027 qualifiers.

Patrick Vieira (Senegal) The former France captain and Arsenal legend has taken charge of the Lions of Teranga. Born in Dakar, he is working as a national team coach for the first time. He must do without Sadio Mané and Édouard Mendy, who have both retired from international football.

Mohamed Ouahbi (Morocco) A U-20 World Cup winner with Morocco in 2025, he replaced Walid Regragui as head coach of the Atlas Lions in March 2026, then led them to the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

Brahim Hemdani (Algeria), Moïne Chaâbani (Tunisia) and Da Silva (Mali) Three new coaches who have each started a new cycle after the World Cup, with squads featuring several new players.

Benni McCarthy (Kenya) The former South Africa striker and Manchester United coach is building a new generation of Harambee Stars ahead of the home AFCON in 2027.

Local or foreign coaches?

The list shows a good balance. Several major nations trust coaches from their own country, including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Cameroon, South Africa and the Central African Republic. Others continue to rely on experienced foreign coaches, often from Europe. One clear trend is emerging: African coaches are playing an increasingly important role on the continent's benches.

Which coach will have the best campaign?

Chelle, Queiroz, Mosimane, Vieira or someone else? Share your opinion in the comments below 👇

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