World Cup’s longest careers as player & coach
Javier Aguirre and Hugo Broos (picture) made their mark at the 2026 World Cup by reaching a combined 40-year span of involvement in the tournament as players and coaches.
Aguirre made his debut for Mexico as a player on 3 June 1986, and his last match as a coach in the recently concluded edition was a round of 16 game against England (2–3) on 6 July.
Thus, his World Cup participation span reached 40 years and 33 days—just one day shy of Mario Zagallo, who holds second place in the all-time ranking.
The Belgian Broos, a 1986 World Cup semifinalist as a player and the coach of South Africa in 2026—took fifth place.
The record belongs to the Brazilian Tim who started his World Cup career as a player in 1938 and finished as a Peru’s coach in 1982
| WORLD CUP | PLAYER & COACH | LONGEST | SPAN | ||
| Person | Team Player/Coach | Span | Player First | Coach Last | |
| 1 | Tim | Brazil/Peru | 44-008 | 14.06.1938 | 22.06.1982 |
| 2 | Mario Zagallo | Brazil | 40-034 | 08.06.1958 | 12.07.1998 |
| 3 | Javier Aguirre | Mexico | 40-033 | 03.06.1986 | 06.07.2026 |
| 4 | Adam Nawałka | Poland | 40-027 | 01.06.1978 | 28.06.2018 |
| 5 | Hugo Broos | Belgium/South Africa | 40-025 | 03.06.1986 | 28.06.2026 |
| 6 | Cesare Maldini | Italy/Paraguay | 40-015 | 31.05.1962 | 15.06.2002 |
| 7 | Fabio Capello | Italy/Russia | 40-012 | 15.06.1974 | 27.06.2014 |
| 8 | Köbi Kuhn | Switzerland | 39-346 | 15.07.1966 | 26.06.2006 |