Guardiola to attend Bahia match amid USMNT talk

Pep Guardiola will attend Bahia's Serie A match against Coritiba on 21 November, accompanied by City Football Group chief executive Ferran Soriano, amid growing speculation about the USMNT job.

Guardiola left Manchester City in May after ten seasons, winning twenty major trophies including six Premier League titles and the club's first Champions League crown in 2022‑23.

Since leaving, the Spaniard has taken an ambassador and technical adviser role with City Football Group, while Enzo Maresca succeeded him at the Etihad Stadium in June.

City Football Group completed its takeover of Brazilian side Bahia in 2023 and now holds a ninety‑percent stake in the club's football company, with Rogerio Ceni in charge of the first team in Salvador.

The visit will include a tour of Bahia's training ground, headquarters and Arena Fonte Nova, and a meeting with Ceni, who travelled to England in January 2025 to watch Guardiola's sessions at City.

The trip is expected to start in Sao Paulo on 18 November, when Soriano will speak at a City Football Group business dinner on its Brazilian investments, with Guardiola also attending.

Bahia sit sixth in the Brazilian Serie A with fifty‑three points, pushing for a 2027 Copa Libertadores qualification spot.

The Salvador visit coincides with Manchester City's home game against Fulham at the Etihad Stadium, the first match after the international break, as Maresca seeks to end a run of three Premier League defeats that have left City six points behind Arsenal.

Guardiola has also been linked with the Italy and United States national team jobs since leaving the Etihad Stadium.