 Herdman managingCanada at the2022 FIFA World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | (1975-07-19)19 July 1975 (age 50) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Consett, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Indonesia (head coach) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hibiscus Coast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2011 | New Zealand (women) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2018 | Canada (women) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2023 | Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Toronto FC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2026– | Indonesia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John Herdman (born 19 July 1975) is an English professionalfootballmanager who is the head coach of theIndonesia national football team. He is widely recognized for his contributions to Canadian soccer. He is the first coach to have led both a women’s and men’s national team from the same country to aFIFA World Cup.
Herdman coached theCanada women’s national team from 2011 to 2018, guiding them to back-to-back Olympic bronze medals (2012, 2016) and a quarter-final finish at the2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. He then transitioned to the men’s program, where he led theCanada men's national team to its firstFIFA World Cup appearance in 36 years in 2022, and oversaw a significant rise in international competitiveness and ranking.
Herdman is credited with reshaping Canada’s national team culture. He helped elevate the profile of Canadian soccer at home and abroad, laying foundational groundwork ahead of the country’s co-hosting of the2026 World Cup.
Herdman began coaching football at a young age in England, while he was a student and part-time university lecturer atNorthumbria University.[1] He was a development coach forSunderland's youth academy until 2001, when he moved to New Zealand.[2]
Herdman arrived in New Zealand and joined the national association football programme in 2003, initially acting as Coach Education Manager and later as the Director of Football Development. Herdman was head coach for theNew Zealand women's national football team from 2006 to 2011. Working with the national women's teams, he led the U-20 squad to the World Championship in2006, the federation's first-ever youth tournament result, and the later renamed U-20 World Cup in2010, securing its first-ever youth World Cup victory. He also guided the senior squad to theFIFA Women's World Cups in2007 and2011 as well as the2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.[3][4][5] For his contributions, he was recognized as New Zealand Football Coach of the Year (2006, 2008[6]) and New Zealand Football Team of the Year (2008).
During his time in New Zealand, Herdman played amateur football forNRFL Division 2 clubHibiscus Coast.[7]
Herdman took over for theCanada women's national soccer team in 2011 fromCarolina Morace after Canada finished last in their2011 FIFA Women's World Cup group.[8] The Canada women's team were in disarray.[1][9] Some veteran players were contemplating early retirements until Herdman arrived.[10] Shortly after, he led them to a gold medal finish at the2011 Pan American Games in Mexico.[11]He guided the team through theCONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament in Vancouver, Canada, securing one of two qualifying spots for the2012 Olympic Games inLondon that summer.[12][13]
The Canadian team advanced from the group stage of the2012 Summer Olympics inLondon with a loss to Japan, a win overSouth Africa and a draw withSweden. Canada faced host nationGreat Britain in the quarter-final, defeating them 2–0. This led to a historicOlympic semi-final against the United States atOld Trafford that saw the Americans prevail 4–3, with Canada'sChristine Sinclair recording a hat-trick.The Guardian referred to the game as "The greatest knockout match in major-tournament football since 1982."[14] Canada then played the third-place game, where they won thebronze medal,[15][16] Canada’s first Summer Olympic team sport medal since 1936.[17] The team received theCanadian Press Team of the Year Award, another first for soccer.[18]
In 2015, Herdman gave aTED Talk, sharing the lessons learned from the team’s 2012 Olympic performance.
“If you want to reach greatness, and that’s what (the Canadian women’s national team) had to buy into, they had to achieve consistent goodness in every part of their life, and not only when people were watching,” he says. “Great people do it when nobody’s watching.”[10]
The2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was played in Canada. The Canadian Women's national team entered the tournament as one of the seeded teams. It was drawn into Group A alongside the Netherlands, China PR and New Zealand.
Canada came first in their group, recording a win against China (1–0), a draw with New Zealand (0–0), and a draw with the Netherlands (1–1). The squad advanced to the Round of 16, defeating Switzerland 1–0 in Vancouver. In the quarterfinals, Canada facedEngland and was eliminated following a 2–1 loss in front of a capacity crowd in Vancouver.[19][20]
Herdman led the team to a second consecutive bronze medal at the2016 Olympic Games inRio de Janeiro beating host team Brazil 2-1 in front of 40,000 fans atArena Corinthians,São Paulo.[21] Canada's win earned the team the distinction of becoming the first Canadian Olympic team to repeat a medal performance at a summer Olympic Games in more than a century.[22][23]
At the 2016 Olympic Games, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team entered the record books early during the Olympic Tournament, scoring the fastest goal in tournament history in the opening match, before becoming the first Canadian team to win the group stage at an Olympic football tournament – winning all three group stage matches.[23]
Under Herdman, Canada earned its highest FIFA world ranking when it rose to fourth place in August 2016 in the wake of its bronze-medal performance at the Rio Olympics[24] and earned the team the honour of "FIFA Most Improved Team".[25]
After the 2016 Olympics, there were concerns that Herdman might take a position coaching the England national women's team. There was a strong feeling thatCanada Soccer needed to keep Herdman in Canada, with some seeing him as the most important person in Canadian soccer.[26] On 8 January 2018, Herdman was named head coach of theCanada men's national soccer team,[27] as well as the men's national director. In that position he had responsibility for all age groups from under-14s upward.[28] He was also given an unprecedented contract term, up to the2026 World Cup.[26]
Herdman inherited a badly divided men's team. There were different camps within the team and fights between players were commonplace. Herdman worked hard to instill a sense of team spirit and unity.[29] Barely a year after taking the job, Herdman stated that Canada would qualify for the2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[1][30]
In October 2019, Canada hosted the United States in a CONCACAF Nations League match at BMO Field in Toronto. Canada had not defeated its southern rival in nearly 35 years. The starting lineup included two teenagers: 18-year-oldAlphonso Davies and 19-year-oldJonathan David. Davies opened the scoring, contributing to a historic 2–0 win for Canada that drew widespread praise for head coach Herdman.[31][32] Following the match, players highlighted his motivational and tactical leadership. StrikerLucas Cavallini told CBC, "Every minute of the day, he has a motivational speech. That’s why we're here." David added, "This guy knows what he's doing… because he has a tactic every game."[33]
In 2021, he guided the team up theFIFA World Rankings from 72nd to 40th, to earn the team the honour of "Most Improved Side" of the year.[34] On 10 February 2022, the Canada men's team improved to 33rd in the FIFA World Rankings.[35] During 2021–22, Herdman coached Canada to a record 17-game unbeaten streak.[36] In the lead up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, there were reports that Herdman single handedly secured private donations to fund training camp needs, including his staff.[26][37]
On 27 March 2022, he led the team to qualify for the2022 FIFA World Cup with a 4-0 victory over Jamaica at BMO Field in Toronto,[38] its first World Cup in 36 years.[39][40] He was the first manager to lead both the national women's and men's teams of a nation to qualify for a World Cup.[41]
Throughout Canada's epic rise, players consistently heaped praise on their head coach. During a postmatch TV interview,Milan Borjan snuck up and doused Herdman with champagne.
"He deserved this," said Borjan, his trademark sweatpants paired with a "WE CAN" T-shirt and ski goggles to protect against champagne backsplash. "This guy, he did everything."[42]
Despite being placed in a challenging group alongside Belgium, Croatia and Morocco, Canada showed moments of promise, including Davies scoring the country's first-ever goal at a men's World Cup.[43]
Canada's first match of the tournament againstBelgium on 23 November ended in a 1–0 loss, despite Canada dictating most of the play, and failing to convert any of their 22 shots, including a penalty.[44][45] Four days later, Canada lost 4–1 toCroatia, despite scoring first, eliminating Canada from the tournament after two matches.[46] Canada were defeated 2–1 byMorocco in their final group match on 1 December, finishing fourth in the group with zero points.[47]
Off the field, Herdman was recognized for his leadership and emotional intelligence, particularly in managing the late injury of veteran defenderDoneil Henry. Twelve days before Canada’s opener, Henry suffered a calf injury and voluntarily withdrew from the squad to allow a fully fit player to join. Herdman called it one of the "toughest moments" of his coaching career. He supported Henry's decision to remain with the group in a non-playing role, contributing behind the scenes on tactical preparation and player morale:
I can't make you feel better for what you're going through but you won't feel better at home. And your boys need you here... Make sure you're ready to help the boys.[48]
Following the World Cup, Herdman led Canada to the2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals, losing 2–0 to the United States.
On 1 October 2023, Herdman left his positions with Canada Soccer to take charge ofToronto FC withMLS.[49][50] At the time of the announcement, TFC sat bottom of theEastern Conference, with three wins from twenty-six games in the2023 season.[51][52] Under Herdman, Toronto FC earned its largest win margin against rivals CF Montreal with a 5–1 result.[53] Toronto FC also defeated the reigning Concacaf Champions Cup holders,C.F. Pachuca, by a 2–1 scoreline in Leagues Cup action at BMO Field in the Leagues Cup group finale.[54] Herdman resigned in November 2024.[55]
In November 2025,Sports Illustrated,BBC Sport andSky Sports News reported that Herdman had emerged as a leading contender for theJamaica national football team head coach position.[56][57][58] In December 2025, media reports linked Herdman to openings with the national teams forHonduras andIndonesia.[59]
Herdman is widely regarded as a central figure in the transformation of Canadian soccer in the 2010s and early 2020s. During his tenure with both the women’s and men’s national teams, Herdman focused on motivating his teams, encouraging individual players and emphasizing team unity and spirit, with a belief in the ability to succeed.[1][9][26][29][60]
In a retrospective on his tenure, the Canadian Olympic Committee noted that "John Herdman defined a decade in Canadian soccer", highlighting his role in bringing Canada back to global competition through "his ability to cultivate belief, resilience, and national pride".[60]
Following Canada's third place finish at the2025 CONCACAF Nations League Finals,Thierry Henry credited Herdman with Canada's rise. In post game analysis onCBS Sports, Henry said: "This is not the Canadian Team of ten years ago. You are now favorites. Stop saying to everybody that you are little Canada. That team is good, you should perform. Stop hiding behind the fact you are little Canada – you are not little. And thanks to John Herdman. He put that team together."[61][better source needed]
Writing inThe Athletic, journalist Joshua Kloke said: "Herdman’s tactics and motivational methods have left a mark on Canadian soccer's DNA. His leadership laid the groundwork for Canada's return to the World Cup stage, but also helped redefine what's possible for Canadian football going forward."[62][dead link]
Herdman has also been instrumental in supporting the development of former female players into coaches and sports executives. Notably, he played a key mentorship role forDiana Matheson, a former Olympian who spearheaded the launch of Canada’s first professional women’s soccer league, theNorthern Super League (NSL). "I'm a big believer in knowing what the end in mind is," Matheson said in an interview ahead of the NSL’s opening night. Herdman, her former national team coach, had taught her the value of a specific imagination: "What does it feel like? What does it sound like? What does it look like to other people?"[63]
As Canada prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Herdman’s contributions continue to be referenced in national discussions about the sport’s development and cultural growth. Writing inThe Globe and Mail,Cathal Kelly said:
No coach in this country’s history has had such a transformative effect on an entire sport. If soccer ever becomes this Canada's main athletic preoccupation – and that's in the process of happening – it will have two eras: before and after John Herdman."[64]
In December 2025, Herdman signed a two-year contract with a two-year option, to coach Indonesia, as well as theIndonesia U23 national teams, beginning in January 2026.[65]
On 3 January 2026, he was officially introduced as the head coach for both Indonesia senior and U23 national teams.[66]
Herdman holds elite coaching licences:[citation needed]
Beyond his coaching roles, Herdman has been an analyst and speaker:
Herdman is originally fromConsett,County Durham, England.[70] Herdman is married to his childhood sweetheart, Clare, and has two children: Lilly andJay. The latter plays forCavalry FC, as well as theNew Zealand U23 team.[70][71]
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| New Zealand women's | 1 January 2006 | 31 August 2011 | 61 | 16 | 7 | 38 | 026.23 |
| Canada women's | 1 September 2011 | 8 January 2018 | 109 | 62 | 14 | 33 | 056.88 |
| Canada men's | 8 January 2018 | 28 August 2023 | 58 | 36 | 8 | 14 | 062.07 |
| Canada under-23 men's | 8 January 2018 | 17 July 2018 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 025.00 |
| Toronto FC | 10 October 2023 | 29 November 2024 | 44 | 16 | 6 | 22 | 036.36 |
| Indonesia | 3 January 2026 | Present | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— |
| Total | 276 | 131 | 37 | 108 | 047.46 | ||
Team AchievementsNew Zealand Women's National Team (2006-2011)
International tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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