Brazilian Championship is the 6th competition with the most coach changes in the world in the last year; Longest-serving coaches play in Norway, Spain and England
The Brazilian Championship is the 6th football championship in the world with the most coach changes in the last 12 months. With 20 teams, there were 17 changes during the period, which represents 85% turnover. from the Cies Football Observatory (International Center for Sports Studies) shows that the average tenure in the position is 8 months and 18 days. It is the 47th lowest when considering the average longevity of coaches of teams from the 55 leagues present in the study.
In this scenario of frequent exchanges, Portuguese Abel Ferreira, 47, stands out as an exception. On February 19, 2026, he entered the history of Brazilian football as the 5th longest-serving coach. It surpassed Telê Santana’s mark in São Paulo, of 5 years, 3 months and 14 days, between 1990 and 1996.
Palmeiras’s Leila Pereira stated that the club believes in planning and that is the reason for keeping the professional in the position. He has held the position since October 30, 2000. In December, Ferreira renewed for another 2 years with the red-and-white.
Another name that resists high turnover is Rogério Ceni, currently among the commanders with the longest tenure in the national elite. Ceni was announced by Bahia on September 9, 2023.
At the other end of the list, the 5 Serie A coaches who have been in office for the shortest time have led their teams for around a month. The most recent signing is Fernando Diniz, at Corinthians, officially on April 6th.
Here is the list of the most and least long-serving coaches in the Brasileirão currently:
WORLD
The Cies study indicates that global coaching turnover reached 65.2% of the teams analyzed last year. The Brasileirão ties with the Venezuelan league in percentage of changes (85%), but with a greater volume of absolute changes due to the number of clubs.
Unlike the Brazilian scenario, Norway has the most stable league among those analyzed, with only 18.8% of changes (3 changes in 16 teams). There, the average tenure in the position exceeds 2.5 years (31.5 months).
Other elite leagues that record greater continuity in the work of coaches are in England (Premier League) and Spain (La Liga), both with 40% turnover in the period.
Here are the leagues with the highest relative rates of coach replacement:
