Top 10 African Coaches Making Impact in 2025

Brief Summary

• Africa’s top football coaches in 2025 are redefining success with AFCON wins, World Cup runs, club success and international achievements.
• Legends like Aliou Cissé, Emerse Faé, and Walid Regragui are inspiring new generations with their tactical brilliance.
• From Nigeria’s Ndubuisi Egbo to South Africa’s Rhulani Mokwena, African coaches continue to raise global football standards.

Deep Dive!!

Thursday, September 4th—From behind the scenes, we have talented minds and strategists who are making an impact in the game of football in 2025. These are the all-round masterminds, deciding which footballer is fit to play, when they play, formations, among other ever evolving tactics.

Whenever the team tastes victory, not only are the players applauded, but the coaches are also given their own well earned fair share of praise. In this article, we will delve into the top 10 coaches/managers who are making an impact in African and global football by winning trophies, delivering memorable matchday moments and nurturing football talents.

10. Rigobert Song (Cameroon)

Rigobert Song, a former Cameroonian centre-back, was impressive while managing his home country's national football team, the Indomitable Lions. Even though Cameroon was eliminated at the 2023 AFCON last round of 16, his biggest achievement was leading Cameroon to the 2022 World Cup and the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. 

Prior to being elected head coach of the Central African Republic in January 2025, he was named head coach of Cameroon in March 2022. His time with the national team ended in February 2024. 

9. Ndubuisi Egbo (Nigeria)

Ndubuisi Egbo deserves a mention on our list since he is the only African and Nigerian coach to win a league title in Europe with KF Tirana in Albania in 2020. He also qualified the team for the UEFA Champions League. Same year, he was named Coach of the Year and Sports Personality of the Year in Albania in 2020. While managing FC Prishtina in 2024, he won the Kosovo Super Cup.

Currently managing another Albanian club, Bylis, and being a former player (goalkeeper) himself, Egbo has more than enough skills to carry any team he manages to unexpected heights.

8. Éric Chelle (Mali)

A former centre-back professional footballer, Éric Chelle has coached a number of football teams himself. Even though he is currently managing Nigeria’s Super Eagles, he is actually from Mali, but played most of his professional career in France. He kicked off his coaching career in 2014 as an assistant when he was appointed to manage GS Consolat. He has managed various French clubs, including FC Martigues and US Boulogne, before moving to Algeria with MC Oran.

Chelle has also managed his home country, Mali, from 2022-2024, where he had a notable tenure, reaching the quarter-finals of the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON). He’ll be pushing to make a mark in the next AFCON competition.

His intracontinental transfer is a prime example of the increasing number of African coaches travelling across continents. 

7. Rhulani Mokwena (South Africa)

South African Rulani Mokwena, at just 38, is making headlines in 2025 after signing a two-year contract to join MC Alger in July. Mokwena have had incredible stints at Wydad Athletic Club and Mamelodi Sundowns, with four consecutive DStv Premiership titles and the 2023 African Football League trophy to his name. He also has a record-setting unbeaten streak in the league.

Mokwena led Mamelodi Sundowns to two CAF Champions League semi-finals, and fans are buzzing with excitement to see what he brings to MC Alger, even though his first game ended in a stalemate.

6. Hossam Hassan (Egypt)

Former prolific striker Hossam Hassan is currently managing the Egypt national team. He was appointed for the major purpose of restoring the Pharaoh’s glory following a disappointing 2023 AFCON exit. Before joining the national team, he managed the Jordanian national team and coached a number of Egyptian teams, including Pyramids FC and Zamalek. 

Egypt performed well in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying and placed second in a FIFA Series competition under Hassan. Having won three AFCON titles with Egypt, the legend’s profound knowledge of their football culture could be profitable to returning pride to the country.

5. Walid Regragui (Morocco)

As of 2025, Walid Regragui remains relevant when the discussion of African coaching brilliance emerges. It is safe to say he is one of the greatest and most successful managers in African football history. He is the mastermind behind his home country,  Morocco’s historic 2022 FIFA World Cup run to the semifinals. His tactics and brilliance were key in making his country the first African and Arab country to achieve this feat.

Beyond his national football team’s contributions, he won a Botola title with FUS Rabat, a Qatar Stars League trophy with Al-Duhail in 2020, and the CAF Champions League and Moroccan Botola league with Wydad AC in 2022. Regragui is getting the Atlas Lions ready for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with his fast transitions and compact defence.

4. Benni McCarthy (South Africa)

South African legend Benni McCarthy is currently the manager of the Kenyan national football team. McCarthy served as a first-team coach for Manchester United and has a range of accomplishments in his managerial career, including winning the MTN8 trophy with Cape Town City in 2018, leading AmaZulu to a runner-up finish in the DStv Premiership and qualification for the CAF Champions League in 2020-21.

His coaching background and playing experience in Europe have earned him his name, bringing star status and tactical shape to his team. He was recently named the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) coach of the month for August.

3. Pitso Mosimane (South Africa)

Pitso Mosimane is one of Africa’s most prestigious coaches and still remains a free agent as of the time of writing, after managing Iran's Esteghlal FC from October 2024 to January 2025. His abilities have driven interests from international teams, with Al Ahly considering a move to bring back their former head coach.

Mosimane has won numerous league and continental championships, including the CAF Champions League twice with Al Ahly and once with Mamelodi Sundowns. His trophy cabinet is impressive: league crowns in South Africa and Egypt, CAF Super Cups, multiple PSL Coach of the Year awards, and CAF African Coach of the Year, among others.

2. Emerse Faé (Ivory Coast)

Ivorian coach Emerse Faé’s name has quickly become widely known since leading his football national team to an underdog victory in the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON). He is the first coach in history to win a tournament while being appointed during the tournament. It is uncommon to grab consecutive AFCON titles, but Faé is aiming for this feat in the upcoming tournament.

His AFCON win brought him other honours, including being named CAF African Coach of the Year 2024, and securing the prestigious Brevet d'Entraîneur Professionnel de Football (BEPF) diploma, the highest coaching qualification in French football. Emerse Faé elevated a struggling team into a championship-winning squad, and of course, he deserves a mention on our list.

1. Aliou Cissé (Senegal)

Aliou Cissé demonstrated his versatility when he led his home team to win the 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON). He also led Senegal to successive World Cup qualifications for Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022. Cissé was also able to reach the 2019 AFCON finals before he eventually won it in 2021.

He was the first manager to win the African Cup of Nations for Senegal, and he is widely known for building a successful team during his tenure. Cissé now coaches Libya with the sole purpose of stabilising the team in the face of difficulties and achieving impressive qualifying results this year.