Herdman began coaching football at a young age in England, while he was a student and part-time university lecturer at Northumbria University.^[1] He was a development coach for Sunderland's youth academy until 2001, when he moved to New Zealand.^[2]

Herdman arrived in New Zealand and joined the national association football programme in 2003, initially acting as Coach Education Manager and later as the Director of Football Development. Herdman was head coach for the New Zealand women's national football team from 2006 to 2011. Working with the national women's teams, he led the U-20 squad to the World Championship in 2006, the federation's first-ever youth tournament result, and the later renamed U-20 World Cup in 2010, securing its first-ever youth World Cup victory. He also guided the senior squad to the FIFA Women's World Cups in 2007 and 2011 as well as the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.^[3][4][5] For his contributions, he was recognized as New Zealand Football Coach of the Year (2006, 2008^[6]) and New Zealand Football Team of the Year (2008).

During his time in New Zealand, Herdman played amateur football for NRFL Division 2 club Hibiscus Coast.^[7]

Herdman took over for the Canada women's national soccer team in 2011 from Carolina Morace after Canada finished last in their 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup group.^[8] The Canada women's team were in disarray.^[1][9] Some veteran players were contemplating early retirements until Herdman arrived.^[10] Shortly after, he led them to a gold medal finish at the 2011 Pan American Games in Mexico.^[11] He guided the team through the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament in Vancouver, Canada, securing one of two qualifying spots for the 2012 Olympic Games in London that summer.^{[12][dead link][13]}

The Canadian team advanced from the group stage of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London with a loss to Japan, a win over South Africa and a draw with Sweden. Canada faced host nation Great Britain in the quarter-final, defeating them 2–0. This led to a historic Olympic semi-final against the United States at Old Trafford that saw the Americans prevail 4–3, with Canada's Christine Sinclair recording a hat-trick. The Guardian referred to the game as "The greatest knockout match in major-tournament football since 1982."^[14] Canada then played the third-place game, where they won the bronze medal,^[15][16] Canada’s first Summer Olympic team sport medal since 1936.^[17] The team received the Canadian Press Team of the Year Award, another first for soccer.^[18]

In 2015, Herdman gave a TED Talk, sharing the lessons learned from the team’s 2012 Olympic performance.

“If you want to reach greatness, and that’s what (the Canadian women’s national team) had to buy into, they had to achieve consistent goodness in every part of their life, and not only when people were watching,” he says. “Great people do it when nobody’s watching.”^[10]

The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was played in Canada. The Canadian Women's national team entered the tournament as one of the seeded teams. It was drawn into Group A alongside the Netherlands, China PR and New Zealand.

Canada came first in their group, recording a win against China (1–0), a draw with New Zealand (0–0), and a draw with the Netherlands (1–1). The squad advanced to the Round of 16, defeating Switzerland 1–0 in Vancouver. In the quarterfinals, Canada faced England and was eliminated following a 2–1 loss in front of a capacity crowd in Vancouver.^[19][20]

Herdman led the team to a second consecutive bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro beating host team Brazil 2-1 in front of 40,000 fans at Arena Corinthians, São Paulo.^[21] Canada's win earned the team the distinction of becoming the first Canadian Olympic team to repeat a medal performance at a summer Olympic Games in more than a century.^[22][23]

At the 2016 Olympic Games, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team entered the record books early during the Olympic Tournament, scoring the fastest goal in tournament history in the opening match, before becoming the first Canadian team to win the group stage at an Olympic football tournament – winning all three group stage matches. ^[23]

Under Herdman, Canada earned its highest FIFA world ranking when it rose to fourth place in August 2016 in the wake of its bronze-medal performance at the Rio Olympics^[24] and earned the team the honour of "FIFA Most Improved Team".^[25]

After the 2016 Olympics, there were concerns that Herdman might take a position coaching the England national women's team. There was a strong feeling that Canada Soccer needed to keep Herdman in Canada, with some seeing him as the most important person in Canadian soccer.^[26] On 8 January 2018, Herdman was named head coach of the Canada men's national soccer team,^[27] as well as the men's national director. In that position he had responsibility for all age groups from under-14s upward.^[28] He was also given an unprecedented contract term, up to the 2026 World Cup.^[26]

Herdman inherited a badly divided men's team. There were different camps within the team and fights between players were commonplace. Herdman worked hard to instill a sense of team spirit and unity.^[29] Barely a year after taking the job, Herdman stated that Canada would qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.^[1][30]

In October 2019, Canada hosted the United States in a CONCACAF Nations League match at BMO Field in Toronto. Canada had not defeated its southern rival in nearly 35 years. The starting lineup included two teenagers: 18-year-old Alphonso Davies and 19-year-old Jonathan David. Davies opened the scoring, contributing to a historic 2–0 win for Canada that drew widespread praise for head coach Herdman.^[31][32] Following the match, players highlighted his motivational and tactical leadership. Striker Lucas Cavallini told CBC, "Every minute of the day, he has a motivational speech. That’s why we're here." David added, "This guy knows what he's doing… because he has a tactic every game."^[33]

In 2021, he guided the team up the FIFA World Rankings from 72nd to 40th, to earn the team the honour of "Most Improved Side" of the year.^[34] On 10 February 2022, the Canada men's team improved to 33rd in the FIFA World Rankings.^[35] During 2021-22, Herdman coached Canada to a record 17-game unbeaten streak.^[36] In the lead up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, there were reports that Herdman single handedly secured private donations to fund training camp needs, including his staff.^[26][37]

On 27 March 2022, he led the team to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup with a 4-0 victory over Jamaica at BMO Field in Toronto,^[38] its first World Cup in 36 years.^[39][40] He was the first manager to lead both the national women's and men's teams of a nation to qualify for a World Cup.^[41]

Throughout Canada's epic rise, players consistently heaped praise on their head coach. During a postmatch TV interview, Milan Borjan snuck up and doused Herdman with champagne.

"He deserved this," said Borjan, his trademark sweatpants paired with a "WE CAN" T-shirt and ski goggles to protect against champagne backsplash. "This guy, he did everything."^[42]

Despite being placed in a challenging group alongside Belgium, Croatia and Morocco, Canada showed moments of promise, including Davies scoring the country's first-ever goal at a men's World Cup.^[43]

Canada's first match of the tournament against Belgium on November 23 ended in a 1–0 loss, despite Canada dictating most of the play, and failing to convert any of their 22 shots, including a penalty.^[44][45] Four days later, Canada lost 4–1 to Croatia, despite scoring first, eliminating Canada from the tournament after two matches.^[46] Canada were defeated 2–1 by Morocco in their final group match on December 1, finishing fourth in the group with zero points.^[47]

Off the field, Herdman was recognized for his leadership and emotional intelligence, particularly in managing the late injury of veteran defender Doneil Henry. Twelve days before Canada’s opener, Henry suffered a calf injury and voluntarily withdrew from the squad to allow a fully fit player to join. Herdman called it one of the "toughest moments" of his coaching career. He supported Henry's decision to remain with the group in a non-playing role, contributing behind the scenes on tactical preparation and player morale:

I can't make you feel better for what you're going through but you won't feel better at home. And your boys need you here... Make sure you're ready to help the boys.^[48]

Following the World Cup, Herdman led Canada to the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals, losing 2-0 to the United States.

On 1 October 2023, Herdman left his positions with Canada Soccer to take charge of Toronto FC with MLS.^[49][50] At the time of the announcement, TFC sat bottom of the Eastern Conference, with three wins from twenty-six games in the 2023 season.^[51][52] Under Herdman, Toronto FC earned its largest win margin against rivals CF Montreal with a lopsided 5-1 result.^[53] Toronti FC also defeated the reigning Concacaf Champions Cup holders, C.F. Pachuca, by a 2-1 scoreline in Leagues Cup action at BMO Field in the Leagues Cup group finale.^[54]

On 29 November 2024, Herdman announced his resignation from his position with Toronto FC.^[55]

Following Canada Soccer and the women’s national team being penalized at the 2024 Summer Olympics for the use of drones, the federation initiated an internal investigation. Herdman was invited to participate in the inquiry; however, no interview was scheduled due to conflicts between the investigators’ availability and the final weeks of the 2024 Toronto FC season and Canadian Championship.

Canada Soccer subsequently convened a disciplinary hearing. The panel concluded that Herdman had engaged in unspecified "misconduct" under its disciplinary code and issued a letter of admonishment, the least severe possible sanction. The federation did not release details of the investigation’s findings, describing them as "final and binding."^[56]

In a statement reported by BBC Sport, Herdman acknowledged the outcome but defended his conduct:

"I acknowledge the Disciplinary Committee's decision, which concluded with an admonishment, without suspension or fine, and brings this matter to a close. I want to express my profound appreciation to the players and staff who stood by me during this process. Your willingness to come forward and defend the culture we built together has been invaluable. We created a team united by respect and shared values, and I am thankful for your support."^[57]

John Herdman is widely regarded as a central figure in the transformation of Canadian soccer in the 2010s and early 2020s. During his tenure with both the women’s and men’s national teams, Herdman focussed on motivating his teams, encouraging individual players and emphasising team unity and spirit, with a belief in the ability to succeed.^{[1][9][26][29][58]}

In a retrospective on his tenure, the Canadian Olympic Committee noted that "John Herdman defined a decade in Canadian soccer", highlighting his role in bringing Canada back to global competition through "his ability to cultivate belief, resilience, and national pride".^[58]

Following Canada’s third place finish at the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League, Thierry Henry credited John Herdman with Canada’s rise. In post game analysis on CBS Sports, Henry said: "This is not the Canadian Team of ten years ago.  You are now favorites. Stop saying to everybody that you are little Canada.  That team is good, you should perform. Stop hiding behind the fact you are little Canada – you are not little.  And thanks to John Herdman.  He put that team together."^[59]

Writing in The Athletic, journalist Joshua Kloke noted: "Herdman’s tactics and motivational methods have left a mark on Canadian soccer's DNA. His leadership laid the groundwork for Canada’s return to the World Cup stage, but also helped redefine what's possible for Canadian football going forward."^{[60][dead link]}

Herdman has also been instrumental in supporting the development of former female players into coaches and sports executives. Notably, he played a key mentorship role for Diana Matheson, a former Olympian who spearheaded the launch of Canada’s first professional women’s soccer league, the Northern Super League (NSL). "I'm a big believer in knowing what the end in mind is," Matheson said in an interview ahead of the NSL’s opening night. Herdman, her former national team coach, had taught her the value of a specific imagination: "What does it feel like? What does it sound like? What does it look like to other people?"^[61]

As Canada prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Herdman’s contributions continue to be referenced in national discussions about the sport’s development and cultural growth. Writing in the Globe and Mail, Cathal Kelly noted:

No coach in this country’s history has had such a transformative effect on an entire sport. If soccer ever becomes this Canada's main athletic preoccupation – and that's in the process of happening – it will have two eras: before and after John Herdman."^[62]

Herdman holds elite coaching licences:^{[citation needed]}

• UEFA Pro Licence (2020)
• UEFA A Licence (2010)
• UEFA B Licence (1998)

Beyond his coaching roles, Herdman has been an analyst and speaker:

• CBC FIFA World Cup TV Analyst (2014)^[63]
• TSN Women’s Euros TV Analyst (2013)^[64]
• TSN Men’s Euros TV Analyst (2016)^[65]

Herdman is originally from Consett, County Durham, England.^[66] Herdman is married to his childhood sweetheart, Clare, and has two children: Lilly and Jay. The latter plays for Cavalry FC, as well as the New Zealand U23 team.^[66][67]

As of match played 5 October 2024^[68][69]

• FIFA Coach of the Year Nominee (2012, 2015, 2016)^[70]
• FIFA Most Improved Team (2016 - Canada WNT, 2021 - Canada MNT)

• Jack Donohue Canadian Coach of the Year (2017)^[71]
• 2016 CONCACAF Awards - Outstanding Performance Award (2016)
• Sport Canada Coaching Excellence Award (2012, 2016)
• Canadian Press Team of the Year (2012, 2022^[72])

• Sport NZ Innovation Award (2011)^[73]
• New Zealand Football Coach of the Year (2006, 2008)
• New Zealand Football Team of the Year (2008)
• North Harbour Coach of the Year (2007, 2009)

• Honorary Doctor of Sciences – Northumbria University (2023)^[74]

Team Achievements New Zealand Women's National Team (2006-2011)

• FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualification (2007, 2011) – First-ever World Cup result in 2011
• Oceania Champions (2010)
• FIFA U-20 Women's World Cups (2006, 2010) – First-ever youth WC victory in 2008
• Beijing Olympics (2008) – First Olympic result for NZ Women’s team

• 2011 Pan American Games – Gold Medal
• 2012 London Olympics – First-ever Olympic medal (Bronze)
• 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup – Quarterfinals (6th place)
• 2016 Rio Olympics – Back-to-back Olympic Bronze medals
• 2016 Algarve Cup Winners – First-time champions
• 2017 FIFA Top 4 Ranking

• FIFA World Cup Qualification (2022) – First in 36 years
• First-ever FIFA World Cup Goal (2022)
• 1st Place in CONCACAF World Cup Qualification (2022)
• 17-Game Unbeaten Streak (2021-2022)^[34]
• First-ever CONCACAF Nations League Final Appearance (2023)
• First Top 40 spot in FIFA Ranking (2021)