Xavi named Netherlands head coach through 2030

Shafaq News- Amsterdam (Updated at 18:47)

Spain great Xavi Hernandez has been appointed Netherlands head coach on a contract through the 2030 World Cup, giving the former Barcelona coach his first national-team job after the Dutch side’s early exit from the 2026 tournament.

The Dutch Football Association announced the appointment on Wednesday, with Xavi, 46, replacing Ronald Koeman, who resigned after the Netherlands were eliminated by Morocco on penalties in the World Cup round of 32.

Xavi returns to coaching after leaving Barcelona in 2024, having managed the club for three seasons and won LaLiga in 2023.

He becomes the Netherlands’ first foreign head coach since Austria’s Ernst Happel in 1978 and will make his debut against Germany in the Nations League on September 24.

As a player, Xavi won the 2010 World Cup with Spain and the European Championship in 2008 and 2012.