According to BioBioChile, Pablo Milad's successor as president of the Chilean Football Federation (FFCh) will confirm La Roja's next permanent coach. Milad is expected to remain in that role until at least February 2027, which would extend Nicolás Córdova's interim tenure by several more months.
Córdova has already spent 15 months as interim coach of the senior national team. Such temporary appointments usually last weeks. According to the same outlet, Chile is currently the only country in South America with an interim coach, while Uruguay chose Diego Forlán and Ecuador chose Marcelo Gallardo for the new cycle.
The delay stems from leadership issues. In October 2025, after a round of World Cup qualifiers, national teams manager Felipe Correa announced: "we will make the decision on the senior national team's coach in March". He added that they expected to have the coach chosen in time for that month's friendlies.
In March 2026, the deadline was pushed back to November. The reason was the election at the National Professional Football Association (ANFP), which represents professional clubs. The idea was to avoid tying a coach to a contract that a new board might terminate.
All signs suggested that the winner of that election, contested by slates led by Jorge Uauy and Jorge Yunge, would choose the new coach. But the situation changed last Wednesday at a meeting in Quilín, the headquarters of Chilean football.
The meeting included representatives from FIFA, the ANFP board and the FFCh council, with Uauy and Yunge present. According to Radio ADN, FIFA said that whoever wins the November 19 election will only oversee the Chilean League and its professional competitions.
The new ANFP president will therefore have no say over La Roja. He will be unable to appoint Córdova's replacement or make his contract permanent. That authority will remain with the Federation, which must separate from the ANFP following approval of the reform to the Professional Sports Corporations Law (SADP).
The information about who will appoint the coach comes solely from BioBioChile and has not been confirmed by other sources. The outlet also maintains that Córdova's interim tenure would be the longest in the national team's history, although it bases that claim on queries to artificial intelligence tools.
With the ANFP election scheduled for November 19 and the Federation's leadership change expected no earlier than February 2027, the decision on La Roja's coach would be left until next year.
