Following Stephan Lichtsteiner’s departure, FC Basel are in need of a new manager. The long-established Swiss club have set their sights on former Augsburg manager Sandro Wagner.
On Wednesday, Stephan Lichtsteiner’s spell as FC Basel manager came to an end after just over five months. With FCB having secured just ten points after the first seven matchdays of the Super League and picked up only one point from their last three matches in the space of eight days, the 42-year-old, along with one of his assistant managers, Mario Cantaluppi, was forced to step down.
Sandro Wagner is set to succeed the former Swiss international, who ended his playing career at FC Augsburg. According to reports, FC Basel have set their sights on the 38-year-old, who previously served as assistant to then-national team manager Julian Nagelsmann.
Basel would be Wagner’s first coaching role abroad
This strengthens the indications that Wagner is set to become the new manager of the 21-time Swiss champions. For the former professional, who played for FC Bayern Munich, TSG Hoffenheim, Darmstadt 98, Hertha BSC, Werder Bremen, 1. FC Kaiserslautern and MSV Duisburg, Basel would mark his first coaching role abroad.
Wagner was most recently in charge at FC Augsburg until early December 2025. To date, the former centre-forward has only held head or assistant coaching roles in Germany. Following stints in the DFB’s youth development programme and with SpVgg Unterhaching’s Under-19s, Wagner took on his first senior role at the Munich-based club in 2021 and led SpVgg to promotion to the 3. Liga in 2023.
Wagner is said to be Basel’s favourite and could take charge shortly
After two months as assistant manager of the German Under-20 national team in the summer of 2023, the outspoken Wagner was promoted to assistant manager of the senior national team under the then interim national team manager and current DFB sporting director, Rudi Völler. He then took up his first Bundesliga coaching role at Augsburg in July 2025.
So his next move could now be to FC Basel, who pulled the plug following Wednesday’s 1–3 defeat to FC Lugano and appointed Lichtsteiner’s former assistant, Luigi Nocentini (37), as an interim solution – who could soon replace Wagner, who is said to be Basel’s favourite.
