Every coach at the 2023 Women’s World Cup

With the 2023 Women’s World Cup about to get underway in Australia and New Zealand, we take a look at the coaches in charge of each of the 32 nations competing at this year’s tournament.

Argentina - Germán Portanova

Germán Portanova was a globetrotting defender in his playing days, turning out for teams in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Spain and Italy. His first step as a coach in women’s football was at Deportivo UAI Urquiza, where he became a three-time league champion and managed the team in three editions of the Copa Libertadores. Portanova took over the national side in 2021. “This is the most exciting thing that has happened to me in my football career,” he said on his appointment. “Being able to direct the women’s national team is the best. Representing your country is defending the flag, the heart, the homeland.”

Australia - Tony Gustavsson

Tony Gustavsson is Australia’s 14th head coach. He has enjoyed a long and successful 21-year coaching career in both women’s and men’s football, playing a significant role in two title-winning spells with the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT). He is a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winner, having been Assistant to Jill Ellis for the USWNT in 2015 in Canada and 2019 in France. Gustavsson also has an Olympic Gold Medal to his name, having been an assistant to fellow Swede Pia Sundhage for the USWNT at the London Olympics in 2012.

Brazil - Pia Sundhage

Under Swedish coach Pia Sundhage, Brazil are preparing for the biggest tournament of them all. “You have to be flexible at the World Cup,” said Sundhage. “We’re going to be coming up against different types of opponents and players are going to get tired and might even pick up injuries.” Brazil played with a pragmatic approach to win the Copa America in 2022, relying on their defensive strengths and went without conceding a goal, while scoring 20 in their six matches.

Canada - Bev Priestman

Before taking over the Canada team, Priestman served as England’s Women’s U-18 National Team Head Coach and was scheduled to lead England at the postponed FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2021. She also worked as England’s Women’s National Team assistant coach. Before joining England in June 2018, Priestman spent the previous five years at Canada Soccer serving as National EXCEL Director, U-15 to U-23. In her role, she served as head coach at two editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, one edition of the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship, three editions of the Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship, and one edition of the Concacaf Under-15 Championship.

China - Shui Qingxia

Shui Qingxia is set to lead China Down Under. “As a coach, it’s a great challenge. The game has changed a lot and now we can see women’s football is growing so fast, more girls are playing football and that’s a very good thing. Football has given me a lot and I hope that young people continue to enjoy the sport and that, through this World Cup, our players can also experience the joy of it as I did as a player.” The 56-year-old isn’t heading Down Under just for the experience though and, off the back of winning the AFC Women’s Asian Cup last year, she’s bullish about just what China can achieve. “Of course we have a long way to go, but definitely we can allow ourselves to dream of winning the World Cup. There is a glimmer of hope in that thought, and if we could do that it would be one of the best things ever!”

Colombia - Nelson Abadia

Nelson Abadia, 67, has spent more than 40 years in football, and has earned a reputation as a coach who develops talent. In 1977 he was made head of the men’s youth teams at América de Cali, one of Colombia’s biggest clubs, before later coaching several second division teams. In 2016, he was appointed manager of the nascent América de Cali women’s team after a short spell as assistant manager of the women’s national team. Since 2017 he’s been manager of las Chicas Superpoderosas, in which time he led them to the Copa América final last year. However, he has been accused of blacklisting several leading players from the national side, many of whom still play in the world’s top leagues, due to the role they played in bravely speaking out about abuses in the women’s game in 2019 and the indifference long displayed by the federation to address these issues.

Denmark - Lars Søndergaard

The well-liked Lars Søndergaard will say his farewell to Kvindelandsholdet after the World Cup. The 64-year-old has overseen the national team since December 2017. “I’ve had an amazing time and it has been an honour,” Søndergaard said after his decision to stop. Having previously coached Danish clubs such as AaB, Viborg and SønderjyskE, as well as several Austrian sides, this was his first time coaching female players. He said early on that he did not see any major differences between coaching a women’s side and a men’s team, apart from perhaps one. “The female players ask a lot more questions and want to talk everything though,” he said. “It is very positive, but it was something that I needed to get used to.”

England - Sarina Wiegman

The 53-year-old Dutchwoman from The Hague succeeded Phil Neville as England’s manager in 2021 and led the Lionesses to European Championship glory in a Wembley final against Germany a year later. The former PE teacher previously won Euro 2017 with her native Netherlands and steered the Oranje to a World Cup final defeat against the United States at France 2019. A former Netherlands defensive midfielder, the University of North Carolina graduate was capped 104 times by her country. After moving into coaching Wiegman, who is married to economics lecturer cum football coach Marten Glotzbach and says she only reads non fiction, accepted a secondment with Sparta Rotterdam men where she became the first Dutch women to coach at a male professional club. Routinely described as “a control freak” by former colleagues, she is famously unsentimental and a firm believer that the devil really is in the detail.

France - Herve Renard

Herve Renard replaced the controversial (but relatively successful) Corinne Diacre in March, but has yet to really put his stamp on the team. Despite having no previous experience in charge of a women’s team, he does have a raft of experience at international level, and has also overachieved in tournaments on short notice in the past, including winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Zambia in 2012. At the international level, Renard has often played a 4-2-3-1, but has experimented with three at the back as well. For France, he should favour the former, but could also play with three in midfield.

Germany - Martina Voss-Tecklenburg

In one of her last matches as a player in 2003 Martina Voss-Tecklenburg scored an own goal in the 89th minute, to decide the German cup final. In her great career, in which she was twice Germany’s player of the year and four times a European champion, it was the first goal she had scored into her own net. Afterwards she said, “It’s better that it happened to me than to one of our young players.” That earned her a lot of sympathy, and she still has it, even as a coach. She was an expert for ZDF at the men’s World Cup in Qatar. After the quarter-final exit at the 2019 World Cup, many were sceptical, but since the European Championship in England, confidence in Voss-Tecklenburg, who is regarded as a great motivator, has never been greater.

Haiti - Nicolas Delépine

A native of Nantes, Nicolas Delépine has more than 20 years of experience in French football, particularly with Nantes, Montpellier, Guingamp and more recently as coach of the Grenoble women’s team. Having taken over Haiti in February 2022, Delépine has achieved an unprecedented feat: qualifying for the Women’s World Cup. “We had to get to know the players first, find out what drives them, their strengths and their culture, so we could get the best out of them,” he said. “That’s how you get players to play to their potential: when you go out looking for the positive points but especially when you learn to get to know each other. We didn’t want to impose things but to build together.” The 43-year-old structures his teams according to the opponent and does not seem attached to a particular setup. In their last five matches, Haiti have fielded five different formations and Delépine is confident of causing a few shocks in a group containing England, China and Denmark. “We’re going there as outsiders and we’ve said that the bigger the mountains and the bigger the challenges, the more beautiful the success,” he said. “You might think we’re a bit crazy or out of our minds, but we want to go and spring a surprise, maybe a couple and, why not, make the last 16.”

Italy - Milena Bertolini

Milena Bertolini was appointed in August 2017, after five years with Brescia. In this six-year spell, she has hit important targets for Italy: the quarter-finals at the 2019 World Cup, qualification for Euro 2022 and for this World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. However, a poor Euros has left its mark. Bertolini will probably leave after the World Cup and another coach will step in to write a new chapter. “I’ve been lucky enough to coach Italy,” Bertolini said. “Our life is always uncertain, and I am no exception. Our future will probably depend on the World Cup.”

Jamaica - Lorne Donaldson

Lorne Donaldson was born and raised in Jamaica where he started his playing career at Kingston College and Cavalier FC, before moving to the United States where he entered Metropolitan State University of Denver (he was inducted into MSU Denver’s Hall of Fame in 1995). He went on to play for the Denver Kickers, where he won the 1983 National Amateur Cup, and Jamaica. He later started his coaching career as an assistant at Metro State Roadrunners in 1983 and has not looked back since, managing Colorado Foxes, Colorado Rapids and Real Colorado Foxes, along the way. Donaldson was introduced to the national women’s programme on the recommendation of ambassador for Jamaican women’s football Cedella Marley in 2014, along with previous head coach Hue Menzies and the two guided the Reggae Girlz to their historic qualification in 2019. Both later left the programme for various reasons that involved the Jamaica Football Federation, but Donaldson expressed a willingness to return provided the conditions were different. In July last year, he replaced Vinimore “Vin” Blaine at the helm, a few weeks ahead of the crucial Concacaf Championship, after the players released a letter expressing dissatisfaction with Blaine’s leadership.

Japan - Futoshi Ikeda

In 2018, Japan clinched the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup title for the first time, beating Spain 3-1 with a superb performance. The coach behind the success was Futoshi Ikeda, and he will lead the country’s senior team at this year’s Women’s World Cup.

Morocco - Reynald Pedros

When the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) contacted Reynald Pedros during the pandemic, they wanted a big name to help the team make the big step to the top level. And Pedros proved to be just the person for the role. The former France international is a legend, having won two Ligue 1 titles, a French Cup and two Women’s Champions League titles with Lyon. Pedros is conscious of the importance of the women’s game for Morocco and has brought in a number of young and talented players from Europe. Leading the team to the World Cup might be one of his biggest challenges, but whatever the outcome, he seems set to be linked with Morocco for a long time to come.

Netherlands - Andries Jonker

Andries Jonker is football crazy. Although never a great player himself, his CV boasts some big clubs. The Amsterdam native worked as a coach at the federation (KNVB), was assistant under Louis van Gaal at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, among others, and held roles at FC Volendam, MVV, Willem II and Wolfsburg. He was also director of the academy at Arsenal for three years. He has been the national team coach since 2022, after the European Championship in England. He was also the women’s national team coach on an interim basis in 2001. His clarity and expertise are widely praised by his players, who mark the Mark Parsons era (2021-2022) as a lost year.

New Zealand - Jitka Klimkova

The co-hosts are led by Jitka Klimkova. The head coach assessed 38 players over a nine-week training camp before naming her final squad of 23. Top creator Olivia Chance and forward Hannah Wilkinson have been included among the key players. “I believe we have selected a good balance of youth and experience across the squad, from the 10 players making their debuts to other members of the group who have appeared at multiple Women’s World Cups,” Klimkova said. “With the extra motivation and excitement surrounding the event on home soil, we now need the country to get behind the team as we look to inspire our nation and deliver one of our best-ever performances. I have absolute faith they will give everything for our team and the country come July.”

Nigeria - Randy Waldrum

Randy Waldrum, the head coach of Nigeria, should be looking forward to leading the African country this summer. The 66-year-old American will lead a team in the World Cup finals for the first time as a coach. However the Nigerian camp has not been a happy place ahead of the tournament, and the man from Texas has been in open dispute with the Nigerian Football Federation. “What keeps me going are the players. Otherwise, I would have quit this job long ago,” Waldrum said in an explosive interview with the On The Whistle podcast. “Up until about three weeks ago, I had been owed about 14 months’ salary. And then they paid seven months’ salary. We still have players that haven’t been paid since two years ago, when we played the summer series in the USA. It’s a travesty.”

Norway - Hege Riise

Hege Riise brings calm and insight to the Norway dressing room and has played in the World Cup herself. A tactically intelligent coach, she is not a coach who will stand and shout from the sidelines. Riise calmly conveys clear messages about how her teams can solve different problems.

Panama - Nacho Quintana

Before joining Panama, Ignacio “Nacho” Quintana was a technical assistant for the Nicaragua women’s team, and coached at teams such as Reforma Athletic Club and Lioness FC. Born in Mexico City, Quintana says he retired from playing at the age of 18 and immediately turned his attentions to coaching, though he also studied gastronomy before turning to football full-time, and eventually earned the A-license as a technical director. He says he wants his team to play with a smile during the tournament. “We can’t lose that happiness,” he told fifa.com. “That’s always our No 1 rule because that happiness which runs through the country, which you get a sense of in every street when you’re in Panama, is something we need to convey out on the pitch so that the people of Panama feel we’re representing them properly.”

Philippines - Alen Stajcic

Australian coach Alen Stajcic is the head coach of the Philippine Women’s National Team (PWNT). One of the most accomplished women’s national team coaches in the world, the 47-year-old Stajcic has guided the Philippines to the Women’s World Cup. Stajcic’s impressive resume is underscored by a five-year stint with the Australian Women’s National Team, which was highlighted by qualification to the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, where the team reached the quarterfinals. He was shortlisted for The Best FIFA Women’s Coach award in 2018.

Portugal - Francisco Neto

Francisco Neto was 32 when he took over the women’s national team. In nine years, he has led Portugal to major competitions for the first time, capitalising on the momentum that the sport has gained in recent times. Neto began his coaching journey at the age of 20, worked with younger teams and as technical coordinator, and ended his coaching training with one of the best grades on the course – ahead, for example, of Sérgio Conceição, the coach of Porto. Neto has already renewed his contract until 2027, but is concentrating on the World Cup, working on ways to deal with strong teams like the USA and the Netherlands. “We know that we will often be under pressure and it is impossible to spend 90 minutes just defending,” he said. “We want to be able to have the ball, dominate some parts of the game and grow at that moment. We’ve been working on it, we’re better, but we want to grow to be able to compete with these teams.”

Republic of Ireland - Vera Pauw

Vera Pauw was appointed as Ireland Women’s National Team Manager in September 2019. A former Netherlands international, who played over 85 times for her country, she moved into coaching in 1998 and has been in charge of five different national teams. Pauw brings a wealth of experience to the Ireland set-up - including a run to the semi-finals of the UEFA European Championships with the Netherlands in 2009 and guiding South Africa to the 2016 Olympic Games. She has led Ireland to their first ever major tournament - FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

South Africa - Desiree Ellis

Desiree Ellis has done it all with Banyana Banyana. She is a founding member of South Africa’s women’s team, which was established in 1993. Ellis cut her teeth for the role of head coach by serving as assistant to Dutch football mentor Vera Pauw while she was in charge of South Africa between 2014 and 2016. Ellis, who has been crowned Africa’s women’s coach of the year three times, led the team to their maiden World Cup participation in 2019. On her side’s prospects in Australia and New Zealand, Ellis said: “[Morocco’s men’s side] were not one of the favourites to get out of their group at Qatar 2022. They went there with a plan and they stuck to it. We have a similar idea of what we want.”

South Korea - Colin Bell

Colin Bell became the first foreign coach to take charge of the Korean women’s team back in October 2019. His main football philosophy is high intensity, which he adopts even in training sessions. The English coach won the Uefa Women’s Champions League with Frankfurt in 2015, managed the Republic of Ireland women’s team from 2017 to 2019, and was assistant head coach of Huddersfield Town before taking the Korea job. He actively continues to learn the Korean language and has even conducted some of his recent press conferences in Korean.

Spain - Jorge Vilda

Vilda spent almost seven seasons at CD Canillas where he also had his first contact with women’s football. Now, as the Spanish Women’s National Team head coach and director of football, he leads La Roja in the tournament Down Under. It hasn’t been plain sailing for the coach, who has seen 15 players threaten to leave the Spanish camp, however, the Spanish FA have backed the coach and he remains in the role despite the controversy.

Sweden - Peter Gerhardsson

The now 63-year-old Peter Gerhardsson took over after the 2017 Euros and has taken his team into the top three in the two out of the three tournaments since (third place at the 2019 World Cup and silver at the Tokyo Olympics). He was a top-flight player before he went into coaching, representing Hammarby between 1978 and 1987 among other clubs, and was in charge of Häcken’s men’s team before taking over the women’s national team. When he was appointed there was a certain sense of “Peter who?” and some players had to Google his name to find out how he was. But there is no doubt that he is popular within the federation as he has just renewed his contract with the Swedish FA. Loves music and has about 1,500 CDs and 1,700 vinyl LPs.

Switzerland - Inka Grings

Inka Grings scored 64 goals in 96 international appearances for Germany during her playing days. Her tally of 314 goals is a record in Germany’s Women’s Bundesliga, where she finished as top scorer six times. Grings made history in 2019 when she was appointed head coach of men’s fourth-division side SV Straelen, becoming the first ever female coach in the top four tiers of men’s football in Germany. She took over Switzerland from Danish coach Nils Nielsen, following a spell in charge of FC Zurich Women. She has primarily opted for a traditional 4-4-2 formation, but has also experimented with a 4-3-3.

USA - Vlatko Andonovski

Andonovski, a longtime NWSL manager who favours a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation, has been a steady hand since he succeeded Jill Ellis as the USWNT’s ninth coach in November 2019. But the 23-match unbeaten run to start his tenure was ended by Sweden in their first contest of a Tokyo Olympics that quickly went sideways as his game management came under criticism. Questions over his fitness for the role surfaced in November when the United States suffered their first three-game losing streak in nearly 30 years with friendly defeats to England, Spain and Germany, but his job security has never been in any serious jeopardy. His selections have broadly reflected an emphasis on NSWL form. Consider the surprise pick of Savannah DeMelo, a 25-year-old midfielder enjoying a standout club season for Racing Louisville FC, who is the third player ever to make a US World Cup squad without having previously made an international appearance.

Vietnam - Mai Duc Chung

The World Cup will be Mai Duc Chung’s last tournament as the head coach of Vietnam women’s team, closing the curtain on a glorious career with both the women’s and men’s national teams. Various foreign coaches had been hired, but no one could make Vietnam’s World Cup dream come true until Chung. He is famous for being a “stuntman” (or emergency caretaker) as he has, far too many times, been temporarily placed in charge of Vietnam’s men’s and under-23 teams in times of crisis, until a new coach could be found.

Zambia - Bruce Mwape

With just days before the start of the Women’s World Cup, National team coach Bruce Mwape is being investigated after authorities received complaints of sexual abuse from several players, The Guardian have reported. Zambia are one of Spain’s rivals in Group C, along with Costa Rica and Japan. Zambia’s Football Association (FAZ) informed FIFA in September 2022 of an open investigation concerning Mwape, Zambia’s manager since 2018.