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The Argentines probably have towel boys who are talented enough to start on a national team, but many World Cup followers doubt they'll win the title for one reason: their coach.

Diego Maradona awed fans as a player, but his talent on the pitch hasn't translated into wins in his coaching gig. The team had miserable performances in the World Cup qualifiers, and Mr. Maradona has drawn scorn for off-field antics.

But his familiarity with the spotlight—he played in two World Cup finals—should actually boost fans' confidence. Since 1986, when the Cup switched to a format similar to the current one, coaches with playing experience in World Cup title games have a .585 winning percentage against coaches without it, according to Phil Ploquin, founder of the soccer statistics website

In the past six World Cups, there have been 124 such matchups: Coaches with finals experience had 61 wins and coaches without the experience had 40 losses (the rest were draws).

Early Advantage

Coaches who played in a World Cup final have a .585 winning percentage against coaches who did not. But the winning effect of World Cup appearances fades in the advanced rounds.

First round 41 23 23
Round of 16 9 6 0
Quarterfinals 8 5 0
Semifinals 2 3 0
Finals 1 3 0
TOTAL 61 40 23

* Since 1986

The Argentines' outlook is good in the first round, where coaches with finals experience win 60% of the time. They're also helped by playing Nigeria, considered to be a weaker team.

Argentina also looks promising in the second round, where coaches with World Cup experience win 61% of the time. Their most likely opponent is Mexico, whose coach never played in a World Cup final.

But don't expect a championship. This trend loses steam in the tournament's advanced rounds. Franz Beckenbauer won a title with Germany as a player in '74 and won from the sidelines in '90, but he lost in the finals in '86, as did two other former players in '98 and '02.

Write to David Biderman at