Moreno Appointed as Interim Head Coach of National Football Team... May Lead Until Next Year's Asian Cup

Spanish-born Roberto Moreno, 48, has been appointed as the interim head coach to lead the national football team for six A-matches in the second half of the year.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) held its 7th Board of Directors meeting for the year 2026 at the Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, today (the 1st) and approved the appointment of Moreno as interim head coach.

A coaching staff of six, including Coach Moreno, has been appointed.

Following the departure of former coach Hong Myung-bo due to the team's elimination in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup North America, Moreno takes over the vacant managerial post to lead six A-matches: four in September and October, and two in November.

His contract runs until November 27, but there is a possibility of extension.

The KFA has included a condition in the contract to entrust him with the helm until the 2027 Asian Cup, which will be held in January next year, depending on the evaluation results of the six matches.

This is seen as a choice keeping in mind the possibility that the election of a new KFA president might be delayed depending on the pace of the football governance reform work.

This is because it is difficult to appoint a permanent national team coach while the presidency is vacant.

If Moreno produces good results, the possibility of him becoming the permanent coach in the future will also increase.

He has the experience of being promoted from interim coach to permanent coach during his time with the Spanish national team.

As a member of the coaching staff under renowned manager Luis Enrique, who currently manages Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Moreno temporarily managed three matches in March 2019 when Enrique stepped down from the Spanish helm due to his daughter's illness, and was appointed permanent coach in June of that year.

However, he had to step down after five months when Enrique returned.

Moreno served as the senior assistant coach of FC Barcelona (Spain) from 2014 to 2017, and after leaving the Spanish national team, he managed Monaco (France), Granada (Spain), and Sochi (Russia), among others.

The entire coaching staff is also composed of Spaniards.

Senior Assistant Coach Eduardo Docampo, who worked with him in Sochi; Coach Jacinto Magriña, an expert in analysis and training methodology; Coach Victor Bravo Desoto, who has experience coaching in the Spanish lower leagues; Physical Coach Javier Chocarro, who has worked in major European leagues; and Goalkeeper Coach Nico Bosch, with 10 years of experience in La Liga, will lend their support.

The KFA has selected a head coach through an open recruitment format for the first time.

This is in accordance with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee's national athlete selection and operation regulations revised in February.

According to these regulations, the national team head coach is to be selected through open recruitment in principle.

The association decided through a board meeting held in late July to select this interim head coach via open recruitment.

An evaluation committee composed of some members of the National Team Strengthening Committee and external evaluation members went through documentary evaluations, online interviews, face-to-face meetings, and coordination of contract terms, finalizing final consultations last weekend.

It was reported that the final shortlist included managers Roberto Moreno, Domènec Torrent, Jesús Casas, and Erwin Koeman.

Hyun Young-min, head of the National Team Strengthening Committee, stated, "As there was significant public interest in procedural legitimacy and fairness for this interim coach appointment, we put considerable effort into complying with it in accordance with the Sport & Olympic Committee's standards."

Hyun added, "Coach Moreno already possesses a high understanding of Korean football and showed impressive enthusiasm by proposing various tactical alternatives. We hope that the Moreno division, appointed through a rigorous process, will play its full role in shifting the national team's atmosphere and improving performance."

(Photo provided by the Korea Football Association, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.