Most appearances in football (soccer) FIFA World Cup matches by a coach

The most appearances in football (soccer) FIFA World Cup matches by a coach is 26 and was achieved by Didier Deschamps (France) who managed France at four successive tournaments from 2014 to 2026.

Didier Deschamps coached France at four World Cup tournaments: 2014 (quarter-finals), 2018, (winners), 2022 (finalists) and 2026 (semi-finalists). He became only the third manager, after Brazil’s Mário Zagallo in 1970 and West Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer in 1974, to lift the trophy as both a player and a coach. Deschamps surpassed Helmut Schoen’s record of 25 World Cup matches in his final game as France manager, the bronze medal match against England in 2026.