FIFA U-20 World Cup

Men's football
Representing Portugal (as manager)
FIFA U-17 World Cup
Bronze	1989 Scotland
Winner	1989 Saudi Arabia
Winner	1991 Portugal
Representing Egypt (as manager)
Africa Cup of Nations
Runner-up	2021 Cameroon

Carlos Manuel Brito Leal de Queiroz is a Portuguese football coach. He was born on March 1, 1953. He is currently the head coach for the Oman national team.

Queiroz has managed many national teams, including his home country Portugal, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Iran, Colombia, Egypt, and Qatar. He led South Africa (in 2002), Portugal (in 2010), and Iran (in 2014, 2018, and 2022) to the FIFA World Cup.

At the club level, he has coached Sporting CP in Portugal, the New York/New Jersey Metrostars in the USA, and Real Madrid in Spain. He also worked twice as an assistant manager for Alex Ferguson at the famous English club Manchester United.

Queiroz has won many awards as a coach, especially with younger teams. He is known for his success, particularly as Alex Ferguson's assistant. He is the longest-serving manager for the Iran national team, coaching them for almost eight years between 2011 and 2019. He returned to Iran for their 2022 World Cup journey. He is the only manager to lead Iran in three World Cups in a row.

Carlos Queiroz's Coaching Journey
Honours
See also

Carlos Queiroz's Coaching Journey

Carlos Queiroz was born in Angoche, Portuguese Mozambique. His parents were Portuguese. He played football as a goalkeeper in Mozambique, but he was not a famous player. He later became a coach.

He moved to Portugal in 1974. He is a graduate of the University of Lisbon. Queiroz coached the Portuguese under-20 team to win two FIFA World Youth Championships in 1989 and 1991.

Early Senior Coaching Roles

In 1984, Queiroz started as an assistant manager for Estoril-Praia. He then became the head coach of the senior national team in 1991. He won 14 of his 31 matches with Portugal. After that, he managed the Portuguese team Sporting CP starting in 1994.

He also coached the NY/NJ MetroStars in the United States and the Japanese team, Nagoya Grampus Eight. In 1999, he returned to coaching national teams. He took over the United Arab Emirates team, and then became the head coach of South Africa in 2000. Under Queiroz, South Africa qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Queiroz joined the English club Manchester United as a coach in June 2002. He worked alongside Alex Ferguson, who is one of the most famous football managers ever.

Managing Real Madrid

Queiroz's work at Manchester United caught the eye of Real Madrid, a huge Spanish club. They wanted him to be their manager in 2003. This was a chance to work with famous players like Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, and Luís Figo. Queiroz signed a two-year contract.

Real Madrid started the 2003–04 season well, winning the Supercopa de España. By the middle of the season, they were at the top of the league. However, they lost their last five matches and finished fourth. They also lost the Copa del Rey final and were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League. After ten months, Queiroz was let go by Real Madrid in May 2004.

Returning to Manchester United

Queiroz with Sir Alex Ferguson during a match in 2008

Queiroz went back to Manchester United as Alex Ferguson's assistant in June 2004. Many people thought his absence had affected the club's performance in the 2003–04 season.

Queiroz at Old Trafford in 2007

Queiroz stayed with Manchester United and helped them win the Premier League in 2007. He often gave interviews for the BBC because Alex Ferguson was not speaking to them at the time. In 2008, Manchester United won both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.

In July 2008, Manchester United allowed Queiroz to leave his contract. He was then appointed as the manager for the Portugal national team.

Coaching Portugal

Queiroz became the head coach of the Portugal national team on July 11, 2008, signing a four-year deal. Portugal had a tough time during the qualification for the 2010 World Cup. They started with a good win but then struggled to win their next matches.

Despite the difficulties, Portugal managed to finish second in their group. They then won their play-off matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which meant they qualified for the 2010 World Cup.

At the World Cup, Portugal drew 0–0 with Ivory Coast. They then had a huge 7–0 win against North Korea. Another 0–0 draw with Brazil confirmed their spot in the second round. In the second round, they lost 1–0 to Spain and were knocked out. Queiroz was later suspended for a period by the Portuguese Anti-Doping Authority. He was then let go by the Portuguese Football Federation in September 2010.

Leading Iran's National Team

On April 4, 2011, Queiroz agreed to coach the Iran national team until the end of the 2014 World Cup. He was known for bringing in players of Iranian heritage who played in other countries.

Iran's 2014 World Cup Journey

Queiroz celebrating after Iran qualified for the 2014 World Cup

Under Queiroz, Iran had a successful World Cup qualification campaign. They won their early matches and invited new players to the team. Iran qualified for the 2014 World Cup as group winners. This was the third team Queiroz had managed to qualify for the World Cup.

Queiroz during Iran's group stage match against Argentina in 2014

At the 2014 World Cup, Iran was in Group F with Argentina, Nigeria, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In their first match, Iran drew 0–0 with Nigeria. In their next game, they lost 1–0 to Argentina with a late goal from Lionel Messi. Iran was praised for holding Argentina for so long. Iran was eliminated after a 3–1 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina. After the tournament, Queiroz extended his contract until the 2018 World Cup.

2015 Asian Cup Performance

Iran continued their strong performance, qualifying for the 2015 Asian Cup. They were in Group C with Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Iran won all their group matches, defeating Bahrain 2–0, Qatar 1–0, and the UAE 1–0.

In the quarter-finals, Iran played against Iraq. After a tough match that went into extra time, the score was 3–3. Iran lost 7–6 in a penalty shootout.

Iran's 2018 World Cup Journey

Queiroz during a qualification match against Qatar

Iran started their 2018 World Cup qualification with friendly matches. Queiroz briefly resigned due to disagreements but then decided to continue. Iran finished top of their group in the second round of qualifiers, remaining unbeaten. They then qualified for the World Cup with two games remaining, becoming one of the first teams to secure a spot.

Queiroz during a group match against Portugal in 2018

At the 2018 World Cup, Iran beat Morocco 1–0 in their first match. They then lost 1–0 to Spain. In their final group match, Queiroz faced his home country, Portugal. Iran drew 1–1 with Portugal, but this was not enough to move to the knockout stage.

2019 Asian Cup Performance

In September 2018, Queiroz extended his contract to try and win Iran's first continental title since 1976 at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Iran won their group with wins over Yemen and Vietnam, and a draw with Iraq. They beat Oman 2–0 in the round of 16, and then China 3–0 in the quarter-finals. However, in his 100th match as Iran's coach, the semi-final against Japan, Iran lost 3–0. After this match, he left the Iran team.

Coaching Colombia

On February 7, 2019, Queiroz became the new manager of the Colombia national team on a three-year contract. His time with Colombia began with the 2019 Copa América, where Colombia won all their group matches, including a 2–0 win over Argentina. However, Colombia was knocked out by Chile in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout.

Colombia also started the 2022 World Cup qualifiers well. But after the COVID-19 pandemic, Colombia's performance dropped. They lost 3–0 at home to Uruguay and then 6–1 to Ecuador. These results led to Carlos Queiroz leaving his role as Colombia's coach.

Managing Egypt

On September 8, 2021, Carlos Queiroz was announced as the new coach for the Egypt national team.

2021 Africa Cup of Nations

At the start of the African Nations Cup, Egypt lost to Nigeria. But they then defeated Guinea-Bissau and Sudan to qualify for the round of 16. Egypt won their quarter-final match against Morocco 2–1. In the semi-final, Egypt beat the host nation Cameroon on penalties to reach the final. This was the first time Queiroz had led a national team to a final in a major tournament. However, Egypt lost to Senegal in the final after a penalty shootout.

2022 World Cup Qualification

Egypt qualified for the third round of the World Cup qualifiers to play Senegal for a spot in the World Cup in Qatar. Egypt won the first match 1–0 in Cairo, but lost the second match 1–0 in Dakar. They then lost again on penalties, which meant they did not qualify for the World Cup. Queiroz and the Egyptian Football Association agreed to end his contract.

Second Time with Iran

On September 7, 2022, Queiroz was hired again to coach Iran for a second time, just before the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This was his third World Cup with Iran. At the World Cup in Qatar, Iran was eliminated in the group stage. They lost 6–2 to England, won 2–0 against Wales, and lost 1–0 to the United States.

Coaching Qatar

Queiroz became the manager of the Qatar national team in February 2023. He signed a contract until the 2026 World Cup. On December 6, 2023, after coaching 12 matches, the Qatar Football Association announced that his contract had ended by agreement.

Current Role with Oman

As of July 15, 2025, Carlos Queiroz is the head coach of the Oman national team.

Honours

Assistant Manager Manchester United

Premier League: 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08
UEFA Champions League: 2007–08

Manager Portugal

FIFA World Youth Championship: 1989, 1991
UEFA European Under-16 Championship: 1989
FIFA U-17 World Cup third place: 1989

Sporting CP

Taça de Portugal: 1994–95
Primeira Divisão runner–up: 1994–95
Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 1995

Nagoya Grampus

Asian Cup Winners' Cup runner–up: 1996–97
J.League runner–up: 1996
Sanwa Bank Cup: 1996
Suntory Championship: 1997

United Arab Emirates

Arabian Gulf Cup third place: 1998
FIFA Arab Cup fourth place: 1998

Real Madrid

Supercopa de España: 2003
Copa del Rey runner–up: 2003–04

Egypt

Africa Cup of Nations runner–up: 2021

Carlos Queiroz facts for kids

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