Coaches’ perception of team cohesion in national teams

The main purpose of this study was to investigate how coaches experience and describe the phenomenon of team cohesion in national teams. Eight national team coaches from individual and team sports were interviewed. The interview guide was rooted in the theory of cohesion in sports groups and reflexive thematic analysis was utilized as our methodological approach. The results of the analysis identified four main themes related to cohesion: 1) Being part of a national team is attractive, 2) Quality relationships, 3) Formal and informal structure, and 4) Adaptive communication. The findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of cohesion in national teams through the coaches’ perspectives.