United States women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes was named women’s coach of the year at the FIFA 2024 The Best awards on Tuesday.
It has been another stellar year for Hayes, who led Chelsea to a fifth consecutive Women’s Super League title in May before masterminding the USWNT’s gold medal triumph at the Paris Olympics.
The Best award comes just weeks after Hayes won the Ballon d’Or for women’s coach of the year.
Having previously won The Best FIFA Award in 2021, Hayes reclaimed the prize from England mager Sarina Wiegman at a ceremony in Doha on Tuesday night.
“It’s been an amazing year on many levels, but my overriding emotion is gratitude,” Hayes said.
“I want to thank everyone who has been on this journey with us, especially the players, coaches and staff from Chelsea and the USWNT. In the middle of 2023, I never thought I would be sitting here as part of a gold medal-winning team, but I’ve loved working with the players and I’m very excited about 2025 and executing our WNT strategy.
“It’s going to be an exciting time for the players as we continue to build on what we accomplished in 2024.”
U.S. Soccer CEO and Secretary General JT Batson said: “We really appreciate the joy and energy Emma has brought to the team and U.S. Soccer.
“Emma’s dedication to our players, staff and everyone who cares about soccer in the United States is inspirational and she is so deserving of this.”