Who is the new Borussia Dortmund coach?

Though he may not have the same connection to BVB as his predecessors Nuri Sahin and Edin Terzic, Niko Kovac is a familiar face in the Bundesliga. When he officially takes over on February 3, Kovac will be coaching a fourth Bundesliga club, having also played for four between 1992 and 2006. His first coaching spell in Germany, at Eintracht Frankfurt, remains his most impressive and was capped with a memorable German Cup win in 2018.

His reward for beating Bayern Munich in that final was a job with the serial German champions, and he promptly added another German Cup and the Bundesliga the following season, matching the double he won as a player with Bayern in 2002-03. He was out of a job just a few months later, with the demands of Bayern taking their toll after a rocky start to the 2019-20 campaign.

His stock has fallen since, with decent but unremarkable stints with Monaco (2020-22) and Wolfsburg (2022-24). He also coached the Croatian national team at the 2014 World Cup. Croatia is the country of his heritage, though he was born and raised in Berlin, and he also won 83 caps for the country as a player.

What will Kovac bring to Borussia Dortmund?

Unlike Sahin and Terzic, Kovac arrives with both experience and trophies. He appears a safe pair of hands to steady a season that had threatened to derail. Dortmund are 11th in the Bundesliga but still just six points off the Champions League spots, and have also qualified for the playoff round of that competition. The top brass at BVB are banking on him to hit the ground running.

"Niko's teams have always been characterized by energy, determination and a sense of the importance of team spirit. We want to feel and see all of this both on and off the pitch," said Borussia Dortmund's managing director of sport Lars Ricken. "We find ourselves in a challenging situation and are certain that in Niko we have found a coach who is capable of overcoming it."

What will Kovac need to do at Borussia Dortmund?

The new man has a big job on his hands. Dortmund's reputation as a launchpad for the best young players in the world has faltered in recent years, and they now have a core of experienced German players such as Julian Brandt (28), Waldemar Anton (28), Niklas Süle (29), Pascal Gross (33) and Emre Can (31) along with young English prospect Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and big-money striker Serhou Guirassy. All have proved to be effective top-level players at Dortmund or elsewhere in the past, so Kovac must find a way to get them all back to their best.

Dortmund have been shaky at the back all season, conceding more than twice as many as leaders Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. Kovac has something as a reputation for defensive organization and may seek to prioritize that.

 He has been handed a short-term contract of 18 months, suggesting he will have little say in the club's overall strategy. But it looks clear that Dortmund need to find an identity once more.

What has Kovac said?

The new coach will not be unveiled until next week, but Kovac has spelled out what he wants to see in the short term.

"The most important thing for all of us now is to have absolute determination, a big heart and the willingness to work hard to represent Borussia Dortmund in the best possible way in the Bundesliga, the Champions League and at the Club World Cup in the summer," he said in a club statement.

"We are taking on this challenge with determination and focus."

Who will Dortmund play in Kovac's first match?

Youth coach Mike Tullberg will take charge of Sunday's match against Heidenheim after overseeing Dortmund's first win of 2025 against Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday. Kovac's first game will be at home against fourth-placed Stuttgart on February 8.

Dortmund will find out on Friday whether they will face Sporting CP or Club Brugge in the playoff round of the Champions League, with those fixtures taking place on February 11/12 and 18/19.