Before the 2026 World Cup kicks off, the record books for managerial longevity will be rewritten. Otto Rehhagel’s longstanding mark of 71 years, set while leading Greece in 2010, will fall multiple times this summer. Veteran tacticians are poised to patrol touchlines across North America, turning the dugout into a surprising celebration of persistence that defies the sport’s usual obsession with youth.

Dick Advocaat looked set to seize the record after guiding Curaçao to an improbable qualification at age 78, making them the smallest nation by population ever to reach the finals. His brief departure in February to tend to his daughter’s health saw replacement Fred Rutten lose friendlies, but Advocaat’s return locked him back into focus. He will stand on the touchline against Germany on June 14.

South Africa’s Hugo Broos, 74, will briefly hold the oldest-coach record during the June 11 opener against Mexico. Hours later, Czechia’s Miroslav Koubek, also 74 but born months earlier in 1951, inherits the distinction against South Korea. Koubek only took the Czechia job in December after a humiliating loss to the Faroe Islands, then steered the side through playoff penalty shootouts against Ireland and Denmark.

Veterans are surfacing on the pitch. Mexico have recalled legendary goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, now 40, for his sixth World Cup, while Scotland selected Craig Gordon at 43. Neither will touch the player mark set by Egypt’s Essam El Hadary, who played at 45 in 2018, or Colombia’s Faryd Mondragón, who appeared at 43 in 2014.