in 2016 Iordănescu ended his playing career in 2004 to pursue managerial studies, undertaking courses in Italy, Spain, and England. In 2010, following
Ilie Dumitrescu's resignation as manager of Steaua București, he assumed the role of interim coach. Iordănescu served in minor assistant or caretaker roles at Steaua and Vaslui, before securing his first contract as a head coach at
Fortuna Brazi in 2013.
Romanian clubs On 20 June 2013, Iordănescu signed a contract with
second division team
ASA Târgu Mureș, with the explicit objective of promoting to the
Liga I; he resigned from the position in October 2013. In December 2014, he was named the head coach of top flight club
Pandurii Târgu Jiu. Under his guidance, the team reached the final of the
2014–15 Cupa Ligii.
CSKA Sofia On 24 August 2016, Iordănescu was announced as the new head coach of Bulgarian side
CSKA Sofia, after also attracting the interest of
Lech Poznań. On 27 November 2016, after a 1–1 home draw against
Vereya, he resigned from his position.
Back to Romania On 8 June 2017, Iordănescu signed a deal with Liga I club
Astra Giurgiu. On 2 April 2018, his contract with the club was terminated through a mutual agreement. On 13 June 2018, Iordănescu signed a three-year contract with
CFR Cluj, taking over from
Dan Petrescu, who left for
Guizhou Hengfeng. He won his first managerial trophy on July 15 that year, as his new side defeated
Universitatea Craiova 1–0 in the
2018 Supercupa României. which his father Anghel had also coached during three stints. On 18 November 2023, after a 2–1 win against
Israel, his country secured qualification for the
UEFA Euro 2024. For this achievement, the
Gazeta Sporturilor sports website named him the 2023
Romania Coach of the Year.
Legia Warsaw On 12 June 2025, Iordănescu took over the Polish
Ekstraklasa club
Legia Warsaw. During the subsequent summer window the club added several first-team players: Danish centre-forward
Mileta Rajović signed from
Watford, Poland international left-back
Arkadiusz Reca arrived on a free transfer after leaving
Spezia, and Slovenia right-back
Petar Stojanović following the expiry of his
Empoli contract. Iordănescu recorded his first trophy with the side on 13 July 2025, when Legia defeated reigning champions
Lech Poznań 2–1 in
Poznań to secure the
Polish Super Cup. The team went on to start the group stage with one win and one defeat before Iordănescu's departure. However, the domestic campaign under Edward Iordănescu offered little improvement. In the league the team under-performed, reaching 10th place in the
Ekstraklasa. His average points per match during his tenure amounted to 1.63. Critics pointed to inconsistent team selection, frequent tactical changes, and visible strain within the dressing-room. Observers also highlighted declines in key performance metrics such as running distances and physical intensity during matches. The combination of weak league results, tactical ambiguity and internal instability led media commentators to describe the project as failing “on almost every front – results, style, tactics, dressing-room management”. Iordănescu parted company with Legia Warsaw on 31 October 2025 after a meeting between the club's leadership and the coach during the night of 30–31 October. The immediate trigger for his exit was the 2–1 defeat in the
Polish Cup to
Pogoń Szczecin. ==Personal life==