LONDON — Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari will become Chelsea manager after the European Championship.
The Premier League club announced Avram Grant's replacement on its Web site Wednesday after Scolari's side secured a Euro 2008 quarterfinal berth by beating the Czech Republic 3-1.
The Portuguese soccer federation confirmed the move on its Web site, saying the coach would not extend its contract with Portugal after the European tournament because of the Chelsea offer.
The statement said that Scolari's decision "was personal and irreversible."
Scolari, who guided his native Brazil to its fifth world title in 2002, will take up the Chelsea job on July 1, becoming the fourth manager since 2003.
The 59-year-old former defender has never managed a European club, but has won the Copa Libertadores — South America's knockout competition — with Brazilian clubs Gremio and Palmeiras.
"Felipe has great qualities," Chelsea said in a statement. "He is one of the world's top coaches with a record of success at country and club level, he gets the best out of a talented squad of players and his ambitions and expectations match ours.
"He was the outstanding choice."