Yaya Toure makes history as Slovan Bratislava qualify for Champions League league phase

Yaya Touré has made history as the first African head coach to lead a team into the UEFA Champions League league phase (the modern equivalent of the group stage), guiding Slovak champions Slovan Bratislava there in his first senior managerial role.

The 43-year-old Ivorian (a former Barcelona and Manchester City midfielder who won the Champions League as a player in 2009, plus multiple league titles) was appointed Slovan’s head coach in mid-June 2026 on a three-year deal, succeeding Vladimír Weiss. It was his first job as a main manager after earlier assistant and academy roles (including with Saudi Arabia under Roberto Mancini, Standard Liège, Tottenham’s youth setup, and others).

Slovan navigated the 2026–27 Champions League qualifiers unbeaten under Touré. They progressed past earlier opponents (including Iberia 1999/Tbilisi and Sweden’s Mjällby) before facing Slovenian champions NK Celje in the play-off round. After a 1-1 first-leg draw, the second leg in Slovenia on Wednesday (26 August 2026) finished 2-1 to Slovan after extra time (3-2 aggregate). Andraž Šporar scored first, Celje equalized via a Svit Sešlar penalty, and Panamanian midfielder Cristian Martínez netted the decisive goal around the 100th minute.

This marks only the second time Slovan have reached the Champions League’s main league phase (they previously did so in 2024–25). Touré’s side has also started strongly in the Slovak league. He has spoken positively about the achievement and the players’ efforts.

The milestone is widely noted across African and European football media as a landmark for African coaches in Europe’s top club competition.