List of longest managerial reigns in association football

In the early decades of organised football, team selection was often conducted by committee among the club directors, with an appointed 'secretary-manager' dealing with player contracts and other administrative tasks, assisted by 'trainers' dealing with coaching and fitness matters. As the secretary role was largely clerical and often occupied by one of the directors, they tended to remain in post for many years regardless of results in the short term. Until after World War I, some clubs never had a manager by name.

As demands and expectations on officials increased both on and off the field, gradually specialist roles became commonplace, and by the end of the 1930s, it was common for clubs in the British Isles to have an official manager as a figurehead dealing with most or all team matters, but with less long-term job security than the secretary-managers of old. Elsewhere, the separation between the office and pitchside functions persisted: the head coach in charge of training and match tactics became increasingly respected and prominent, but meanwhile while a figure closer to the ownership in the role of general manager, sporting director or director of football maintained control over financial and commercial aspects, with the levels of influence and balance of power between the coach and director varying between clubs and nations. As in the earlier era, the director would often have a tenure of several years to oversee the overall progress of the club, while the head coach would typically keep their job only for as long as the on-field results were positive.

For the purpose of this list, a separation has been made between pre-World War II reigns, which includes many secretary-managers, and the period after the conflict ended when regular competitions resumed in most countries, and longer managerial/head coach appointments became far less commonplace. For those whose terms spanned World War II, they have been placed in the section covering the majority of their reign. Long serving head coaches in international football are also recorded separately below.

Clubs

Pre-1946

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  George Ramsay was secretary-manager of Aston Villa from 1884 to 1926, during which time he established Villa as the most successful club in England.
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  Willie Maley was manager of Celtic from 1897 to 1940.
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  John Nicholson was secretary-manager of Sheffield United from 1899 to 1932.
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  Bill Struth was the Rangers manager from 1920 to 1954.

Post-1946

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  Guy Roux managed Auxerre for over 40 years in total
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  Alex Ferguson managed Manchester United for 26 years, the longest reign in post-war English football
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  Arsène Wenger was manager of Arsenal for 22 seasons
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  Francky Dury managed Zultse VV and their successor Zulte Waregem for a combined 28 years across three spells

National teams

• List of football managers with most games