Outgoing City coach Pep Guardiola waves at an after-party event with the players after their victories in the two domestic cup competitions on May 25, 2026, in central Manchester, north-west England. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
The Pep Guardiola era at Manchester City is over. After 10 years as manager at the Etihad Stadium, the Catalan bid farewell to City after Sunday’s final Premier League match of the season against Aston Villa. The club will now enter a new era under a new manager for the start of the 2026/27 campaign.
Guardiola himself will also enter a new era. He has only ever held three management jobs in his career, achieving glittering success at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. At the time of his departure from the latter, it’s unclear what will come next for the greatest soccer manager of his generation.
It has been raised in the past that Guardiola could move into international management. He was linked with the England job before The FA hired Thomas Tuchel for the 2026 World Cup, so could Guardiola end up coaching The Three Lions before too long? Would that make sense?
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 16: Pep Guardiola of Manchester City hold The FA Cup during the Emirates FA Cup Final match between Chelsea and Manchester City on May 16, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
The FA via Getty Images
“I don’t have any absolute plan about my future,” said Guardiola. “I go to rest and recover the time I missed with my kids, even though they are grown, and do many things I’ve not done that I want to do. I don’t think for one second about anything related to football for the next years. I need to rest, I need to reflect, I need to see what happened in my 17, 18 years, in my time with Barcelona, in Germany [with Bayern Munich] and here.”
Some other international jobs might appeal. Guardiola played for the Spanish national team, winning 47 caps over an eight-year spell. However, he has been an advocate for Catalan independence during his time as a manager and so there could be political reasons stopping him coaching Spain.
Brazil is another job Guardiola has been linked with, and has even spoken about. However, Carlo Ancelotti is currently in charge of the Selecao and has only recently signed a contract extension to take him through to the 2030 World Cup. Barring any disasters, Ancelotti will be in the dugout as Brazil boss for the foreseeable future.
England manager Thomas Tuchel during the England World Cup squad announcement at Wembley Stadium, London. Picture date: Friday May 22, 2026. (Photo by John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)
PA Images via Getty Images
England could make a lot of sense for Guardiola considering he has worked in the country for the last decade. The Three Lions have also come a long way in terms of their technical development and so Guardiola’s ideas and methods could take root in a group of players he will already know well.
After leaving Barcelona, Guardiola took a sabbatical from the sport and the early indications are that he will now do something similar in the immediate term. One day in the future, though, Guardiola will return to management and England would make a lot of sense as his next destination.