Dortmund appoint Kovac as coach on 18-month deal

Former Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac will take over as Borussia Dortmund boss until 2026, sporting director Lars Ricken confirmed on Wednesday.

The 53-year-old will replace Nuri Sahin, who was sacked last week, with Dortmund since led by interim coach Mike Tullberg. 

“I can confirm we have reached an agreement (with Kovac),” Ricken told DAZN after Dortmund’s 3-1 home win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. 

“Mike Tullberg will lead the team on Saturday (in the league against Heidenheim), before Niko takes over on Sunday.”

Earlier on Wednesday, German daily Bild reported Kovac and Dortmund had reached a “basic agreement” on the deal, with the former Croatia international unwilling to only agree to take over until the end of the current season.

Kovac, who left his last job as Wolfsburg coach in March 2024, won the German Cup with Eintracht Frankfurt against Bayern in 2018, before taking the top job in Munich weeks after. 

At Bayern, he won a league and cup double in 2018-19, but was let go by the club midway through the following season. 

Known for his disciplinarian style and focus on fitness, Kovac will take over a Dortmund side who have struggled since reaching last season’s Champions League final.

Dortmund sit 11th in the Bundesliga, 22 points behind leaders Bayern, and have won just one of their past eight games domestically.