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Yaya Toure has guided Slovan Bratislava into the 2026/27 Champions League league phase.
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The former Manchester City midfielder achieved the feat after his side defeated Celje 2-1 after extra time.
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Toure becomes the first African coach to lead a team into the Champions League league phase.
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Nigeria’s Ndubuisi Egbo previously made history as the first African to manage a club in the Champions League.
August 27, (THEWILL) — Yaya Toure has added another milestone to his remarkable football career after becoming the first African coach to guide a team into the UEFA Champions League league phase.
The former Manchester City and Ivory Coast star achieved the feat with Slovakian club, Slovan Bratislava, who secured their place in the competition with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Celje after extra time on Wednesday.
The result gave Slovan a 3-2 aggregate win in their Champions League play-off tie and booked their place among the 36 teams that will compete in this season’s league phase.
The celebrations that followed showed just how much the achievement meant to the players and coaching staff, with the Slovan dressing room erupting in celebration after the final whistle.
10 games unbeaten at Slovan Bratislava & he led them to the Champions League.
Yaya Toure 🔥👋 pic.twitter.com/vwBckqCk57
— POOJA!!! (@PoojaMedia) August 27, 2026
For Toure, the achievement is particularly significant because he only took charge of Slovan in July.
The 43-year-old former midfielder signed a three-year contract with the club and is now making an immediate impact in his first senior managerial position.
Toure’s journey from one of Africa’s most decorated midfielders to the Champions League dugout has been relatively quick, but his latest achievement adds another important chapter to his career.
During his playing days, he established himself as one of the finest African footballers of his generation, winning major honours with Barcelona and Manchester City and helping Ivory Coast to international success.
He has since moved into coaching, working as part of coaching teams before taking on his first permanent managerial role with Slovan.
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Toure Follows Another Historic African Milestone
Toure’s achievement comes six years after another Nigerian made history in the Champions League.
Ndubuisi Egbo became the first African coach to manage a club in the competition when he led Albania’s KF Tirana during the 2020 qualifying campaign.
Egbo had guided Tirana to the Albanian league title before taking them into the Champions League qualifiers.
However, his side ultimately failed to reach the league phase.
Toure has now gone a step further by successfully taking his club through the qualifying rounds and into the main league phase of the competition.
The achievement also comes at a time when African coaches continue to push for greater recognition in European football.
While African players have enjoyed long-standing success at some of Europe’s biggest clubs, opportunities for African coaches at the highest level have historically been far more limited.
Toure’s progress with Slovan Bratislava therefore represents more than just a personal achievement.
It allows him to test himself against some of Europe’s biggest clubs while becoming a prominent figure in the growing list of African coaches making their mark internationally.
Slovan will discover their league-phase opponents when the Champions League draw takes place in Monaco on Thursday.
For Toure, what began with his appointment only a few weeks ago has already turned into a historic Champions League campaign.
Olumide Atiba is a sports journalist with THEWILL, known for his keen news sense and compelling storytelling. He has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, well-structured reports that resonate with readers, with a strong focus on football coverage
