'A Curse with Korea' Carlos Queiroz Writes New World Cup History at 73... Historic Victory Over Ghana as Oldest Winning Coach

*This content was translated by AI.

Carlos Queiroz (73), the head coach with a troubled history involving Korean football, has achieved a significant milestone. He has become the oldest winning coach in World Cup history.

Queiroz's Ghana national team secured a 1-0 victory over Panama in the first group stage match of the 2026 FIFA North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup, held on the 18th (Korean time) at Toronto Stadium in Toronto, Canada.

In this tournament, Ghana was placed in Group L alongside Panama, England, and Croatia. Despite the burden of competing against two European powerhouses, Ghana boosted its chances of advancing from the group stage by defeating Panama, a match they had to win. On the same day, England also defeated Croatia 4-2. As a result, England finished first in the group, Ghana second, while Panama and Croatia took third and fourth places, respectively.

The victory was also special for Coach Queiroz personally. With this win against Panama, he became the oldest winning coach in World Cup history, leading the team to a final tournament victory at the age of 73 years and 109 days.

The previous record was held by former Greek coach Otto Rehhagel. Rehhagel led Greece to a 2-1 victory over Nigeria in the group stage of the 2010 South Africa World Cup. At the time, he was 71 years and 301 days old. However, Queiroz surpassed this record after 16 years.

The path was not easy. The match remained tied at 0-0 for a tense period, and it seemed the game would end in a draw. However, in the fifth minute of stoppage time in the second half, Ghana scored a dramatic winning goal.

In the final attacking play, Brandon Thomas-Asante (Coventry) completely broke through the left flank. He then delivered a precise pass toward the goal, and Caleb Okoli (Nordsjælland), who surged in from the opposite side, calmly pushed the ball in. Ghana held on to their one-goal lead for the remaining time, securing three precious points. As the dramatic winning goal was scored, Coach Queiroz roared, unable to hide his joy.

This tournament marks Queiroz's fifth consecutive appearance at the World Cup. He led the Portugal national team in 2010, and then coached the Iran national team for three consecutive tournaments in 2014, 2018, and 2022. This time, he returned to the World Cup stage as the head coach of the Ghana national team.

Only Coach Queiroz and Coach Bora Milutinović hold the record for participating in five consecutive World Cups as a coach. Milutinović led five different national teams—Mexico, Costa Rica, the United States, Nigeria, and China—to the World Cup between 1986 and 2002.

Brazil's Carlos Alberto Parreira holds the record for participating in the World Cup six times as a coach, but his appearances were not consecutive.

In fact, Coach Queiroz was not originally scheduled to participate in this North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup. However, Ghana, struggling with poor form, dismissed former coach Otto Addo in March and subsequently appointed Queiroz as the new head coach. Suddenly taking charge of Ghana, Queiroz secured a victory in his first match, setting a historic World Cup record. Ghana also announced a pleasant start.

Local Ghanaian media, City Newsroom, also highlighted Coach Queiroz's leadership. According to the media, after the match, Queiroz praised his players, saying, "Our players fought like warriors. They also won wisely. To win at this level, sacrifice is necessary. This World Cup victory is a very valuable result."

Coach Queiroz is an experienced manager. He first gained recognition by leading Portugal to back-to-back U-20 World Cup titles in 1989 and 1991. Legends of Portuguese football, including Luis Figo and João Pinto, were coached by Queiroz. He also served as a senior coach at Manchester United and managed the prestigious Spanish club Real Madrid.

However, his relationship with Korean football has not been good. In 2013, while serving as the head coach of the Iran national team, Queiroz engaged in a fierce verbal confrontation during a match against Korea. In particular, he caused a major controversy by making a gesture known as a "fist potato" directed toward the Korean national team bench, which was considered an insult.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.