Niko Kovač extends contract as Borussia Dortmund coach to 2029

DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Borussia Dortmund has handed coach Niko Kovač a contact extension through June 2029 as a reward for stabilizing the team.

Dortmund announced the deal on Tuesday before the Champions League match at Bodø/Glimt — itself a measure of the Berlin-born Croatian coach’s success since taking over when Dortmund was 11th in the Bundesliga in January 2025.

Kovač helped Dortmund recover to finish fourth for Champions League qualification, then led it to second place last season, and has made a good start this season following a summer of change with four wins from five Bundesliga games so far.

“We’ve been on a very good path with Niko Kovač since he took office a little over a year and a half ago,” Dortmund managing director for sport Lars Ricken said. “He has consistently developed the team and enjoys great acceptance within our club.”

Ricken said extending Kovač’s contract was “a clear sign of continuity and stability at Borussia Dortmund.”

The club also extended the contracts of his brother Robert Kovač, and fellow assistant Filip Tapalović.

Dortmund pointed to Kovač’s record in the Bundesliga, where his team averages 2.15 points per game, its best record under any coach.

Dortmund sports director Ole Book said he had a very close and trusting working relationship with the 54-year-old Kovač.

“We are in touch almost every day and are working on taking the next steps for success with the team,” Book said.

Kovač’s first big successes as coach came at Eintracht Frankfurt, which he led to a German Cup final win over Bayern Munich in 2018. He then led Bayern to a league and cup double the next season. He followed that with spells in charge of Monaco, then Wolfsburg.

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Dortmund's head coach Nico Kovac follows the game of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen in Dortmund, Germany, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Dortmund's head coach Nico Kovac reacts during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen in Dortmund, Germany, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Formula 1 confirmed on Tuesday that Rwanda will host a race from “the early 2030s” when the series returns to Africa after about 40 years.

The African Grand Prix will have a 10-year contract and take place at a track in Bugesera, southeast of the capital, Kigali. F1 said the purpose-built track will be ready “early in the next decade.”

Racing in Africa will fulfil a long-held ambition for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, the only Black driver in F1. The 41-year-old British driver has said he has been “fighting in the background” for years to have a race in Africa.

The last time F1 raced in Africa was the South African Grand Prix in 1993.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

FILE - Rwanda's President Paul Kagame arrives to attend the International Space Summit in Paris, on Sept. 10, 2026. (Abdul Saboor/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix race in Singapore, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)