Football managers with most trophies in history

Some of these tacticians are considered legendary figures of the sport.

Football has seen some of the greatest tactical minds shape its evolution, but which are the most successful football managers of all time? From Sir Alex Ferguson to Pep Guardiola, this list ranks the football managers with the most trophies in history, highlighting their total titles, achievements, and lasting impact on the game.

While many of these legendary figures have also built some of the most successful football clubs, this article focuses on the managers who have dominated the sport by consistently winning silverware at the highest level.

Here are the top 11 football managers with the most trophies as of 2026:

Rank	Manager	Total trophies won
11	Arsene Wenger	21
10	Giovanni Trapattoni	23
9	Jose Mourinho	26
8	Ottmar Hitzfeld	26
7	Luiz Felipe Scolari	26
6	Jock Stein	26
5	Carlo Ancelotti	31
4	Valeriy Lobanovskyi	30
3	Mircea Lucescu	38
2	Pep Guardiola	40
1	Sir Alex Ferguson	49

11. Arsene Wenger – 21 trophies

Arsenal’s legendary manager, Arsene Wenger, has won 21 trophies in his career. In addition to managing the Gunners, he has also been at the helm of clubs like AS Monaco and Nagoya Grampus. His major contribution to football, however, came while at Arsenal, where he spent over 22 years, winning 17 trophies.

List of trophies won by Arsene Wenger:

1. English FA Cup (7)
2. Premier League (3)
3. FA Community Shield (7)
4. Japanese Sup Cup (1)
5. French Division 1 (1)
6. Emperor’s Cup (Japanese Cup Winner) (1)
7. Coupe de France (1)

🗓️ OTD in 1996…Arsene Wenger made a winning start to his 22-year tenure as Arsenal manager ❤️ pic.twitter.com/8WKrxEKQ4b

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 12, 2025

10. Giovanni Trapattoni – 23 titles

One of the few to have coached all three Italian giants, Trapattoni won 23 trophies in his managerial career. Most of them came with Juventus, who he coached in two separate spells. With the Old Lady, Trapattoni won almost every title, barring the Supercoppa Italiana.

The list of honours included six Serie A titles, the European Cup, the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.

List of trophies won by Giovanni Trapattoni:

1. Serie A (7)
2. UEFA Cup (4)
3. Coppa Italia (2)
4. UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (1)
5. European Cup (1)
6. European Super Cup (1)
7. Intercontinental Cup (1)
8. Supercoppa Italiana (1)
9. Bundesliga (1)
10. DFB-Pokal (1)
11. DFB-Ligapokal (1)
12. Primeira Liga (1)
13. Austrian Bundesliga (1)

9. Jose Mourinho – 26 titles

Like most managers of his stature, Jose Mourinho has amassed a huge collection of trophies from his tenures at clubs like FC Porto, Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Inter Milan. He has 26 titles so far and could add to that number, thereby rising in the rankings. He is currently one of the most experienced managers in world football and remains active in top-level management.

List of trophies won by Jose Mourinho:

1. English League Cup (4)
2. Premier League (3)
3. Primeira Liga (2)
4. UEFA Champions League (2)
5. Serie A (2)
6. FA Community Shield (2)
7. FA Cup (1)
8. Taça de Portugal (1)
9. Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (1)
10. UEFA Cup (1)
11. Coppa Italia (1)
12. Supercoppa Italiana (1)
13. LaLiga (1)
14. Copa del Rey (1)
15. Supercopa de España (1)
16. UEFA Europa League (1)
17. UEFA Europa Conference League (1)

8. Ottmar Hitzfeld – 26 titles

Ottmar Hitzfeld started his managerial career in Switzerland, but his most prominent success came in the German Bundesliga. The German managed teams like Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, winning the Bundesliga seven times and the UEFA Champions League twice for both clubs. Overall, the tactician won 26 trophies in his career.

List of trophies won by Ottmar Hitzfeld:

1. Bundesliga (7)
2. DFB-Ligapokal (4)
3. DFB-Pokal (3)
4. Swiss Cup (3)
5. UEFA Champions League (2)
6. Swiss Super League (2)
7. DFB-Supercup (2)
8. Swiss Super Cup (1)
9. Intercontinental Cup (1)
10. Nationalliga B champions (1)

7. Luiz Felipe Scolari – 26 titles

Currently, the technical director of Gremio, Luiz Felipe Scolari, is one of the most successful football managers in the world. His most prominent stints came for teams like Palmeiras, Gremio and the Brazil national football team. The 77-year-old has won 26 trophies, including a FIFA World Cup with Brazil.

List of trophies won by Luiz Felipe Scolari:

1. Copa do Brasil (4)
2. Campeonato Gaúcho (3)
3. Chinese Super League (3)
4. Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (2)
5. Copa Libertadores (2)
6. Chinese FA Super Cup (2)
7. FIFA World Cup (1)
8. FIFA Confederations Cup (1)
9. AFC Champions League (1)
10. Recopa Sudamericana (1)
11. Copa Mercosul (1)
12. Chinese FA Cup (1)
13. Uzbek League (1)
14. Kuwait Emir Cup (1)
15. Gulf Cup of Nations (1)

6. Jock Stein – 26 titles

Jock Stein is an outright legend in the Scottish football sphere. The legendary manager won all 26 of his titles with Celtic over a 13-year career. He also managed teams like Leeds United and the Scotland national football team.

Jock sadly passed away in 1985.

List of trophies won by Jock Stein:

1. Scottish League Championship (10) 
2. Scottish Cup (9) 
3. Scottish League Cup (6)
4. European Cup (1)

5. Valeriy Lobanovskyi – 30 titles

Hailing from Ukraine, Valeriy Lobanovskyi won 30 titles in his managerial career. He is popularly known as the progenitor of the ‘False 9’ position and the style of ‘Total Football’. The tactician’s trophy cabinet includes two UEFA Cup Winners’ Cups and a UEFA Super Cup.

He only managed Dynamo Kyiv and won the domestic league 13 times.

List of trophies won by Valeriy Lobanovskyi:

1. Soviet Top League (8)
2. Soviet Cup (6)
3. Ukrainian National League (5)
4. Soviet Super Cup (3)
5. Ukrainian Cup (3)
6. UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (2)
7. UEFA Super Cup (1)
8. Gulf Cup of Nations (1)
9. Soviet First League (1)

4. Carlo Ancelotti – 31 trophies

Ancelotti is the only manager to have won the league title in all of Europe’s top five leagues. The Italian manager has also won 5 Champions League titles, 4 UEFA Super Cups, one English Super Cup, 2 German Super Cups, 2 Club World Cups and multiple other trophies.

Real Madrid beat Dortmund 2-0 in the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League final to hand Carlo Ancelotti his 30th piece of silverware in his long and successful career. He is now the manager of Brazil national football team.

List of trophies won by Carlo Ancelotti:

1. UEFA Champions League (5)
2. UEFA Super Cup (5)
3. FIFA Club World Cup (3)
4. La Liga (2)
5. Copa del Rey (2)
6. Supercopa de España (2)
7. DFL-Supercup (2)
8. Serie A (1)
9. Coppa Italia (1)
10. Supercoppa Italiana (1)
11. Premier League (1)
12. FA Cup (1)
13. FA Community Shield (1)
14. Ligue 1 (1)
15. Bundesliga (1)
16. UEFA Intertoto Cup (1)
17. FIFA Intercontinental Cup (1)

3. Mircea Lucescu – 38 titles

The third spot goes to Mircea Lucescu, who won 38 titles in his long, illustrious career. The Romanian is currently managing his nation’s football team. He won a UEFA Super Cup in 2000 with Galatasaray by beating Real Madrid.

He has also managed clubs like Shakhtar Donetsk, Besiktas, Zenit St.Petersburg and more.

List of trophies won by Mircea Lucescu:

1. Ukrainian Premier League (9)
2. Ukrainian Super Cup (8)
3. Ukrainian Cup (7)
4. Romanian Cup (3)
5. Romanian Divizia A (2)
6. Süper Lig (2)
7. UEFA Cup (1)
8. UEFA Super Cup (1)
9. Romanian Super Cup (1)
10. Russian Super Cup (1)
11. Serie B (1)
12. Anglo-Italian Cup (1)
13. Romanian Divizia B (1)

2. Pep Guardiola – 40 titles

Pep Guardiola has already accumulated 40 trophies in his managerial career. The Spaniard has won silverware at each club he has managed. The tactician has led teams like FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City to great heights.

With plenty of years remaining in his relatively young managerial career, Pep will certainly rise up the ranks and might challenge the top-ranked Sir Alex Ferguson’s record. The Spanish manager won the second treble as a manager and this time with Manchester City. By doing so, he is also the first manager to win two trebles.

Pep won the EFL Cup 2025-26 title with Manchester City against Arsenal, taking his overall tally to 40 titles.

List of trophies won by Pep Guardiola:

1. Premier League (6) 
2. EFL Cup (5) 
3. UEFA Super Cup (4) 
4. FIFA Club World Cup (4) 
5. La Liga (3) 
6. Supercopa de España (3)
7. Bundesliga (3) 
8. UEFA Champions League (3) 
9. FA Community Shield (3) 
10. Copa del Rey (2) 
11. DFB-Pokal (2) 
12. FA Cup (2)

1. Sir Alex Ferguson – 49 titles

The outright leading manager who has won the most trophies is the ethereal figure of Sir Alex Ferguson. His work with Manchester United is a benchmark for all managers in the world. The Scotsman spent 27 years at Manchester United, winning 37 titles, including 13 Premier League titles and two UEFA Champions League trophies. 

The 84-year-old also led Aberdeen to 10 titles in five years in the Scottish division, prior to etching a legacy with the Red Devils. His record of 49 trophies may never be broken again unless Pep Guardiola or Jose Mourinho go on to have long, illustrious careers. 

List of trophies won by Sir Alex Ferguson:

1. Premier League (13)
2. FA Community Shield (10)
3. FA Cup (5)
4. EFL Cup / League Cup (4)
5. Scottish Cup (4)
6. Scottish Premier Division (3)
7. UEFA Champions League (2)
8. UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (2)
9. UEFA Super Cup (2)
10. Scottish League Cup (1)
11. Scottish First Division (1)
12. FIFA Club World Cup (1)
13. Intercontinental Cup (1)

Conclusion

While Sir Alex Ferguson remains the most successful football manager in history, Pep Guardiola is rapidly closing the gap. As modern football evolves, new names could emerge on this elite list.

*Last updated: May 2026