Europe's free coaching market swells after World Cup

With the 2026 World Cup concluded and clubs and national sides reshuffling ahead of the 2026/27 season, several high‑profile coaches are now free agents across Europa, ranging from World Cup champions to former players still hovering on the sidelines,

World Cup‑linked free agents

Didier Deschamps, the 2018 Campeão of the Mundo and finalist in 2022, also carries the 1998 player title, left the French national team after the 2026 edition. After 14 years with the Bleus, the former midfielder now faces the decision of his next challenge.

Deschamps’ club résumé includes a Ligue 1 crown, three French League Cup triumphs and two French Super Cup victories earned while managing Olympique de Marseille from 2009 to 2012. Earlier, he guided Monaco to the 2004 Champions League final and steered Juventus back to Serie B champions in 2007 despite a nine‑point deduction.

Club‑level free coaches

Antonio Conte has been without a club since departing Napoli in May, after guiding the side to a vice‑championship that followed an Italian title. His exit followed a public dispute with president Aurelio De Laurentiis, during which Conte argued Napoli would have won the title if not for injuries and praised Inter Milan, the competition’s champion.

Arne Slot, after delivering the Premier League trophy in 2024/25, saw his Liverpool tenure end after nearly two years. The former Jürgen Klopp successor oversaw a fifth‑place finish, a Champions League quarter‑final exit to Paris Saint‑Germain, a 4‑0 defeat in the Copa da Inglaterra quarter‑final to Manchester City and a 3‑0 loss in the Copa da Liga Inglesa to Crystal Palace.

Julian Nagelsmann also joins the list of free coaches. He stepped down after Germany’s second‑stage elimination by Paraguay in the World Cup, prompting the German Football Association to consider Jürgen Klopp as a successor. Nagelsmann previously served as Red Bull’s global director after nine years at Liverpool, won the 2018/19 Champions League, and was dismissed by Bayern Munich in March 2023 following a 2021‑2023 spell.

Among the free agents is a Campe looking for a new appointment, adding further intrigue to the market as clubs across Europa evaluate their options.