Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac will remain in-charge of the club for the 2026-27 season too, confirms new sporting director Larc Ricken.
The Croatian is set for a trophyless spell in his first full season at the helm of BVB but their strong performances have convinced the club to retain him for another year.
Speaking to German news outlet BILD, Ricken said:
"“Yes. Absolutely. Without him, we wouldn’t be in second place, because first, he has really strengthened the team, and second, he led us into the Champions League last season. Had we not achieved that, it would have had massive consequences for the squad.""said Ricken
Kovac took charge of Dortmund on 2 February 2025 after Nuri Shahin was given the boot following a poor run in the Bundesliga that had left the club in 11th place with just eight wins from 20 games.
Their struggles appeared to continue under Kovac too as the manager lost four of his first six league matches with them before going their last eight unbeaten, winning seven as they ended the top-flight campaign with five wins in a row to finish in fourth place and secure Champions League football on the last day.
In Europe, he steered them from the knockout playoffs all the way to the quarter-finals, the same stage where they reached in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup too a few months later.
Under Kovac, Dortmund eventually morphed into a robust unit that's become hard to beat, as exemplified by their meager two losses in the German league this season.
However, not all's been hunky dory under him. The Black and Yellows have also garnered criticism for their uncharacteristic defensive lapses in games against easier oppositions as well as relying on late goals to get them through.
For context, there have been four occasions in the Bundesliga this season where Dortmund dropped points from a winning position.
We've seen this pattern vehemently over the last couple of weeks. Also, their record against the big teams hasn't been the best, winning only seven of their 15 games against teams residing in the top 10 of the league table.
Dortmund also failed to reach the last-16 of the Champions League after losing out in the knockout playoffs to Atalanta while also getting knocked out from the round of 16 in the DFB-Pokal to Bayer Leverkusen.
Despite all this, the Signal Iduna Park outfit are well on course to finish as Bundesliga runners-up as they sit 11 points clear of RB Leipzig and VfB Stuttgart with only six games remaining and looking increasingly likely to achieve Champions League football once again.