Croatian coach Petar Šegrt could return as head coach of the Tajikistan national team. According to Eurasia Football, he is on the shortlist of candidates.
Šegrt is among the leading options after the Tajikistan Football Federation failed to agree a contract extension with Serbian coach Goran Stevanović.
The new head coach’s main task will be to lead the team at the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. Šegrt already has experience of the tournament with Tajikistan. Under his leadership, the team qualified for the Asian Cup for the first time in its history and went on to reach the quarter-finals.
Šegrt left the national team after the tournament. Much of his coaching staff stayed on, with his long-time assistant Gela Shekiladze taking over as head coach. However, Shekiladze failed to guide Tajikistan into the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers and later stepped down.
Stevanović was then appointed and oversaw the team’s final four matches in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Tajikistan took 10 points from those games, finished top of the group and secured qualification.
Šegrt remains the most successful head coach in the history of the Tajikistan national team. Under him, the side reached the Asian Cup quarter-finals, won the Merdeka Tournament in Malaysia and broke into the top 100 of the FIFA rankings for the first time.
Since leaving Tajikistan in February 2024, Šegrt has not taken charge of another team and remains without a club. During the Asian Cup, he also drew attention in Croatian media.