Where is Pep Guardiola going next? Landing spots at clubs and national teams for departing Man City manager

After a decade of unparalleled success at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola has decided to leave the Premier League side and forge a new path for himself.

The Spaniard moved to the Etihad Stadium 2016 and turned City into not just a force in England but indeed in Europe, winning 17 major trophies, including six Premier League titles, eight domestic cups, and a maiden Champions League title.

Given his enormous, generational success across his time at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and City, Guardiola is considered one of — if not the — greatest managers of all time. His influence on tactical thinking in the sport stands alongside his phenomenal trophy haul.

As such, Guardiola will be one of the most coveted men in football management, even more so than his long-time rival Jurgen Klopp, who has reportedly fielded countless job offers since his departure from Liverpool two years ago. At j55 years old, Guardiola has plenty of time left to continue managing if he so desires.

The Sporting News details the most likely destinations for Guardiola when he decides to return to management, and why each landing spot is either appealing or not plausible depending on the situation.

MORE: Why Pep Guardiola is leaving Manchester City after a decade at the Premier League club

Pep Guardiola next club or national team

It's not certain when Pep Guardiola will decide to seek out his next position. Multiple reports, including from Dom Farrell of The Sporting News, have cited sources close to Guardiola who have claimed the Spaniard is tired.

"I don't know the reason. I think it's very personal," a source told the Sporting News. "I suppose he's very tired after 10 years. His family is far away; he's been in the same place for 10 years. He's already achieved complete success — he doesn't need to prove anything.

"I suppose all this is what's driving him to say goodbye. Pep doesn't need any more trophies. I think he needs to take a breather, play golf, live a bit, go to the beach."

It is also widely speculated that Guardiola wishes to get into national team management, having won practically every trophy available in top-level club football already. With national team jobs considered lower-stress, given there are fewer matches to prepare for and therefore less day-to-day grind, he could be convinced to jump back in soon, following the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

However, if he seeks an eventual return to the rigors of club football, it's likely that he takes some time off and waits for the right job to appear.

It's entirely plausible that Guardiola doesn't even know where he wants to go next, which makes this speculation all the more difficult.

Spain national team

Let's get this one out of the way. While it may seem natural for Guardiola to target the Spain national team job, there is one major obstacle which stands firmly in the way of this happening.

Hailing from Santpedor in Catalonia, Guardiola has long been a vocal supporter of Catalan independence, a heavily-charged movement within Spanish culture that has at times divided the nation. In 2017 he joined a rally to ahead of the unsuccessful referendum on Catalan independence, asking the public for assistance to handle "the abuses of an authoritarian state."

It's certainly plausible that he and the rest of the country could put this aside and build a partnership to lead the side at which he earned 47 caps as a player, but this hire would present significant political and cultural roadblocks that are likely too much of a labyrinth to navigate for this partnership to be worthwhile, especially considering Luis de la Fuente has been a success in charge, and has every reason to continue unless Spain flop at the 2026 World Cup.

Sky Sports even reported back in September of 2018 that he had little desire to manage Spain, and while things can certainly change in the eight years since, it's hard to imagine an appropriate reconciliation here.

England national team

There is every reason to believe Guardiola and the England national team would be a happy marriage, and one that makes plenty of sense.

After 10 years at Manchester City, Guardiola has an intricate knowledge of the England talent base, English media, and club football culture. He has almost surely built extensive relationships with agents, players, and club officials which are necessary to run a successful national team setup.

Thomas Tuchel signed a contract extension through until 2028 earlier this year, but that does not rule out the forthcoming World Cup being a change moment if things do not go to plan. If Tuchel continues until the end of his deal, Guardiola could perhaps come into consideration after a long sabbatical.

Italy national team

With Italy missing a third consecutive World Cup, the Azzurri are reeling from this latest setback, which has relegated the program to rock bottom. Now that Gennaro Gattuso has departed, Italy are waiting to conduct a search for his replacement until after the vote for a new FIGC presidential election on June 22.

This could be a coveted position for Guardiola, who competed for Roma and Brescia towards the end of his playing days, but there are roadblocks too. The leader for this position is Antonio Conte, who conveniently has announced his departure from Napoli at the end of the season, while Massimiliano Allegri and Claudio Ranieri are also considered possibilities.

The Italy national team has never been led by a non-Italian native in the entire history of the program, apart from when Argentine manager Helenio Herrera co-led the team alongside Italian-born Ferruccio Valcareggi for one year in the 1960's, before Valcareggi took over by himself for the next seven years.

United States national team

It's a widely held belief that Mauricio Pochettino will depart the USMNT setup after the 2026 World Cup, regardless of how the U.S. performs on home soil. Pochettino will be highly coveted in the global managerial hiring carousel, even as the Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Man City jobs have already been taken, and he is believed to be pushing for a return to club football.

If the U.S. has money to burn, and wishes to continue elevating the perception of the program by hiring a second consecutive high-profile club manager, Guardiola could be an attractive option.

It would take some convincing to bring Guardiola to the level of the USMNT, but they managed to accomplish that with Pochettino, so it's not out of the question. Guardiola could be enticed by the opportunity to live in the United States, and surely would be phoning Lionel Messi about why he spurned big-money opportunities in Saudi Arabia to live in Miami. The Catalan spent his year-long sabbatical after leaving Barcelona in 2012 in New York.

With Man City-signee Cavan Sullivan believed to be on his way to breaking into the national team in the near future, it would be fitting for Guardiola to be the one to usher the USMNT into its next generation of talent up to the 2030 World Cup.

Brazil national team

Carlo Ancelotti is recently signed through the 2030 World Cup, and there is surely some lingering animosity from when Guardiola was spurned by the CBF in 2012 amidst interest in the position.

This almost surely isn't happening unless Ancelotti and Brazil bomb at the 2026 World Cup or the Italian decides to up and leave out of nowhere shortly after.

Argentina national team

Could Guardiola could find himself as the manager of the Argentina national team for Lionel Messi's farewell tour.

Lionel Scaloni, who led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title and is considered one of the best national team managers not only currently but in the history of the game, is not a guarantee to continue much longer. There was a period of time in 2025 that Scaloni was reportedly burnt out in his current position, and a few weeks where it seemed likely he would step down. While that did not come to pass, it certainly would be plausible this summer after the 2026 tournament.

If Scaloni steps down, either by choice or after a poor performance in the upcoming FIFA competition, Guardiola could be a natural replacement for the 2022 champions. His links to Argentina through Messi are obvious, and even with Messi possibly retiring after the World Cup or shortly after, Guardiola could be a dream appointment regardless.

Still, in the event Scaloni does depart, there could be a more natural replacement ready-made in one-time Guardiola pupil Javier Mascherano, who has previously managed in the Argentina youth setup and was successful at Inter Miami before abruptly stepping down earlier this season out of nowhere.

Barcelona

Given Guardiola's extensive history with Barcelona both as a player and a coach, there will always be ambient chatter about his potential return to Catalonia.

It's not going to happen anytime soon, unless something seismic and unforeseen takes place. Hansi Flick is beloved at Barcelona, and the club just announced a contract extension for the German through the summer of 2028 on the very day Guardiola's departure from Man City was revealed.

Right now, that job simply isn't open and Guardiola has previously said never again. Perhaps a role as part of the wider sporting operation or on the board might be more realistic.

Girona

Another Catalan club that Guardiola knows well. Girona come under the City Football Group umbrella and his brother, Pere Guardiola,  is the chairman. Obviously, this would have to be a passion project, given Girona would not be able to give Guardiola anything like the salary he is accustomed to. But it could be an opportunity for arguably the most online elite sports coach in the world to address those nonsensical "but he's never managed [insert lower mid-table club name] or anyone like that" criticisms head-on.

River Plate

Given the overall consensus that Guardiola is unlikely to return to club football, it would take a special project. He adores Argentine football, City established good relations with River Plate over recent years, and he could try to add a Copa Libertadores to his Champions League titles. Can you imagine?