May 7 – The instability of the football managerial job market has been unearthed by a study from the CIES Football Observatory, which found that 65.2% of clubs across 55 leagues worldwide have changed head coach at least once over the past year.
The number is broadly in line with last season’s data and points to what CIES describes as “chronic instability” across much of the professional game.
The most extreme example came in Cyprus, where every club in the top division changed manager within the last 365 days. Peru’s top flight followed at 94.4%, while Italy’s Serie B recorded a 90% turnover rate.
At the other end of the scale, Norway’s Eliteserien proved the most stable league measured, with only three of its 16 clubs – 18.8% – making a coaching change over the same period. The Netherlands ranked second-lowest at 39.9%, with both the Premier League and La Liga sitting at 40%.
Among Europe’s “big five” leagues, Serie A stood out sharply from the broader trend. Exactly 75% of clubs in Italy’s top division changed head coach over the past year, compared to 55.6% in the Bundesliga, 50% in Ligue 1 and 40% in both England and Spain.
CIES also examined the age profile of managers currently in permanent positions. Across all leagues surveyed, that average sits at 49.5 years.
Bulgaria recorded the oldest coaching demographic, with an average age of 55.6 and no top-flight coach under 40. Sweden ranked youngest at 43.5, highlighting what CIES described as significant regional differences in football governance and recruitment strategies.
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Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]