Courage hire Mak Lind as head coach ahead of 2026 NWSL season
- Jonathan Turner
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
CARY, N.C. (Jan. 24, 2026) — The North Carolina Courage announced Friday the hiring of Mak Lind as the third head coach in club history.
Lind joins the Courage with training camp already underway as the club prepares for the 2026 NWSL season.
He comes from Swedish side BK Häcken Women, where he guided the club to the 2025 Damallsvenskan title. Häcken finished the season with a 21-1-4 record and a plus-68 goal differential. Lind joined the club in July 2023, leading Häcken to a second-place league finish in 2024 before capturing the championship a year later.
During his tenure, Häcken also reached the quarterfinals of the 2023–24 UEFA Women’s Champions League, falling to Paris Saint-Germain.
“Mak brings a proven track record of building competitive, modern teams and developing players within a clear footballing identity,” Courage Chief Soccer Officer Ceri Bowley said. “His experience in Europe and his attention to detail align strongly with our long-term vision.
“Mak’s ability to combine performance, culture and player development makes him a perfect fit for our club. We believe his leadership will help push us to the next level.”
Lind said he is eager to begin his tenure with one of the league’s most successful clubs.
“I am extremely excited and humbled by the opportunity to serve as the next head coach of the North Carolina Courage,” Lind said. “This is a club with an incredible history and a clear expectation to compete for trophies. I’m very aligned with the system and style of play already in place and look forward to continuing to evolve it alongside the players and staff.”
Lind brings nearly a decade of head coaching experience in Sweden, having led professional clubs since 2016. Prior to joining BK Häcken Women, he spent much of his coaching career in the men’s game, earning a reputation for tactical clarity and player development.
A former center back, Lind began his professional playing career at age 15 and made 256 senior appearances, most of them with BK Häcken, where he later served as club captain. Internationally, he earned 10 caps with the Lebanese men’s national team from 2013 to 2015 and was named to the IFFHS All-Time Lebanon Men’s Dream Team in 2022. Born in Lebanon, Lind later moved to Sweden and holds Swedish citizenship.
The Courage have won an NWSL-best seven league trophies, including two NWSL Championships, three NWSL Shield titles and two Challenge Cups. The club relocated from Western New York to North Carolina in 2017 and will enter its ninth NWSL season in 2026.
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