A contract to June 2029

Borussia Dortmund announced on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, that head coach Niko Kovac has signed a new deal running until 30 June 2029. The club presented the two-year extension as a reward for the work he has done since taking charge in early 2025, when Dortmund stood 11th in the Bundesliga. The previous contract was due to expire at the end of the season, so the renewal settles his position for the next three seasons. Dortmund framed the deal as a reward for progress, and Kovac's own statement pointed to a shared plan covering how the team plays, how it behaves as a unit and what it takes to reach its goals. Lars Ricken, the club's managing director for sport, framed the renewal in terms of stability.

We've been on a very good path with Niko Kovač since he took office a little over a year and a half ago.

Kovac responded in a statement that stressed the club's common direction.

Together, we've set a clear course for development and laid important foundations for the future.

From 11th place to runner-up

Kovac, a 54-year-old Berlin-born Croatian, took over a side that had slipped to 11th in the Bundesliga and guided it back into the Champions League. Dortmund finished fourth at the end of 2024-25 and then second behind Bayern Munich in 2025-26, a turnaround achieved within a single season of his arrival. The club points to his Bundesliga return of 2.15 points per game, its best under any coach. Before Dortmund, Kovac guided Eintracht Frankfurt to the 2018 German Cup, beating Bayern Munich in the final. He then spent two seasons at Bayern, where he won two league titles, two cups and a Champions League, before coaching Monaco and Wolfsburg. He is a former Croatian international who began his coaching career with the reserve side at Salzburg.

Form at the start of the season

Dortmund have won four of their five Bundesliga matches this season and sit level on 13 points with Freiburg after five matchdays. The side is still unbeaten in the league, and since losing the Super Cup to Bayern Munich it has won six of its seven competitive matches, according to SRF. The announcement came after a summer of change at the club, and the renewal lands while the team is still building its early-season record. The next assignment is a Champions League league-phase match away at Bodø/Glimt on Wednesday, 14 October. Blick notes that this trip will be Kovac's first match under the new contract.

Staff and finances

Dortmund also extended the contracts of Kovac's brother Robert Kovac, who works as co-trainer, and of assistant Filip Tapalović. Sports director Ole Book said he and Kovac are in contact almost every day, describing a working relationship built on closeness and trust. Bild reported that Kovac will earn five million euros a year. Blick, citing the same report, also noted that Lars Ricken extended his own contract to 2030 shortly before the coach's renewal.