Two Coaches With Modest Salaries Reach World Cup Final

Kathmandu. This time in the FIFA World Cup 2026, two coaches will face each other in the final, who were not much discussed when they were appointed. In 2018, when Lionel Scaloni was appointed as the coach of Argentina, no one imagined him as the coach who would lead Lionel Messi to win the World Cup.

After removing Jorge Sampaoli, the Argentine Football Association did not have the financial capacity to appoint a famous coach. Therefore, Scaloni was initially made the acting coach.

Many criticized him when he was given the permanent responsibility. Diego Maradona even sarcastically called him a 'person who cannot even manage traffic'. But if Argentina defeats Spain, Scaloni will create history by winning four major international tournaments in a row—two Copa Americas and two World Cups. Also, he will be the first coach since Vittorio Pozzo of Italy in the 1930s to win two consecutive World Cups.

The journey of Spain's Luis de la Fuente was also ordinary. After managing the Under-19, Under-21, and Under-23 teams, he got the responsibility of the senior team in 2022. Both of them built a game system according to the needs of their team.

Scaloni created a structure where Messi's talent would be utilized to the fullest, while De la Fuente transformed Spain's traditional ball-control style according to the new generation.

In the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the highest-paid coach among the participating coaches is Brazil's Carlo Ancelotti. Various international media outlets have mentioned that he receives an annual salary of approximately 10 million Euros (11.3 million US dollars) with the goal of leading five-time world champion Brazil to their sixth World Cup.

In second place is Germany's coach Julian Nagelsmann. He receives an annual salary of approximately 7 million Euros (7.9 million US dollars). However, the performance of both Brazil and Germany did not meet expectations.

In terms of salary and facilities, Mauricio Pochettino of America is in third place, with an annual salary of approximately 6 million Euros (6.8 million US dollars).

England's coach Thomas Tuchel is also one of the most expensive coaches in the World Cup. His annual salary is reported to be approximately 5.8 million Euros (6.5 million US dollars). Before the World Cup, his contract was renewed for another two years, and it is said that his salary was also increased along with it.

After that, Portugal's Roberto Martinez and Uzbekistan's Fabio Cannavaro are in the list equally with an annual salary of approximately 4 million Euros. France's coach Didier Deschamps receives a salary of approximately 3.8 million Euros annually, while Ronald Koeman of the Netherlands and Marcelo Bielsa of Uruguay receive approximately 3 million Euros.

The interesting thing is that the salaries of the coaches who reached the World Cup final are the lowest among all these. Lionel Scaloni of Argentina receives an annual salary of approximately 2.3 million Euros, while Luis de la Fuente of Spain has an annual salary of only approximately 2 million Euros. Despite the low salary, these two coaches have sent a message that success is not guaranteed by big names and expensive salaries by taking their teams to the World Cup final.

Perhaps, their biggest strength was not having the burden of great prestige. They succeeded because they prioritized the team's needs over personal ego.

In stark contrast, big-name and expensive coaches did not succeed as expected. England, under Thomas Tuchel, was eliminated from the semi-finals. Mauricio Pochettino could not take America beyond expectations. Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil was eliminated from the round of 16.