On July 2010, Markarian was appointed as the new head coach of the Peru national team for the 2011 Copa America and the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Markarian succeeded José del Solar who led the Peruvian team in a disastrous campaign, finishing last during the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. Under great expectations from the media, Markarian stated in a press conference, "I expect from my heart that this will be my best work in my career as a coach". Markarian's objective was to qualify Peru to the 2014 World Cup and recover the luster that Peruvian football once had. This would prove to be a great challenge, as Peru had missed out on all editions of the World Cup since its last appearance in 1982. Nonetheless, Markarian set out to overcome this challenge with the help of his assistants Pablo Bengoechea and Óscar Aguirregaray and Physical Coach Gonzalo Barreiro. In 2010, Markarian was the third best paid coach in South America earning a year. Only Mano Menezes and Marcelo Bielsa had higher salaries than Markarian at the time. After a 1-0 loss in a friendly game with Panama in October, Markarian excluded players Reimond Manco, Jefferson Farfán, and John Galliquio from the squad because they reportedly went to a Panama City club despite orders not to go out.