Roger Schmidt will succeed Jürgen Klopp at Red Bull. © APA/afp / PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA

Red Bull has found Klopp's successor.

Roger Schmidt will succeed Jürgen Klopp as global head of football at Red Bull.

July 31, 2026

From: dpa

The experienced coach will take up his post as Head of Global Soccer on October 1st, the company announced. According to the announcement, Schmidt has signed a long-term contract and will work alongside Florian Scholz, Head of Global Soccer Commercial, to further advance the sporting and commercial future of Red Bull's football ecosystem.

Following the World Cup and the German Football Association's separation from national coach Julian Nagelsmann, Red Bull's former head of football, Jürgen Klopp, was released by the company so that he could succeed Nagelsmann. The fact that the energy drink manufacturer has filled the position so quickly is surprising.

The 59-year-old Schmidt made a name for himself as coach of RB Salzburg between 2012 and 2014, achieving success there. He subsequently coached Bayer Leverkusen, Beijing Guoan (China), PSV Eindhoven, and Benfica Lisbon.