Carlos Queiroz was named Ghana manager on April 13 and has overseen just one match, a 1-1 friendly draw with Wales, as he heads into his fifth consecutive World Cup at age 73 [1, 2]. Saudi Arabia appointed Georgios Donis 10 days after Queiroz, replacing Hervé Renard. Donis has had three friendlies to prepare, including a 0-0 draw with Senegal [1, 2].
Czech Republic selected Miroslav Koubek in December to replace Ivan Hasek. At age 74, Koubek has no prior international coaching experience but led the team through successful qualification playoffs, including penalty shootout wins against Ireland and Denmark [1, 2]. He remains unbeaten, winning friendlies against Kosovo and Guatemala [1, 2].
Sweden’s Graham Potter took over in October and helped the team reach the World Cup through playoff victories despite poor group results. Sweden’s only recent wins under Potter were against Ukraine and Poland [1, 2]. They open the tournament against Tunisia, whose manager Sabri Lamouchi was appointed in January. Lamouchi has managed four friendlies with Tunisia ahead of the World Cup [1, 2].
Morocco’s Mohamed Ouahbi, appointed in March, leads an unbeaten squad after five friendlies prior to the tournament [1, 2].
These appointments mean several teams have limited time to build cohesion before the World Cup. The tournament begins shortly after the final round of friendlies conclude, with teams racing to finalize squads and tactics.