RIYADH — Hervé Renard has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the Saudi Arabia national football team, less than two months before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 57-year-old Frenchman had returned for a second spell in charge at the end of 2024, having previously led Saudi Arabia between 2019 and 2023, including at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“That’s football… Saudi Arabia have qualified for the World Cup seven times, including twice with me,” Renard told AFP. “And there’s only one coach who has led them through both the qualifiers and the World Cup; that’s me, in 2022. At least there will be that sense of pride.”
Renard, a two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner with Zambia and Ivory Coast, had guided Saudi Arabia back to the global stage, but his tenure has now come to a dramatic end.
He previously left the Saudi role in 2023 before taking charge of the France women’s national football team, leading them to the quarter-finals of both the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Renard was reappointed following the departure of Roberto Mancini, who exited after a 14-month spell in charge.
Former Greece international Georgios Donis is reportedly among the leading candidates to replace him, with discussions ongoing between the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and Al Khaleej, where Donis has been coaching since 2024.
Saudi Arabia have been drawn in Group H at the 2026 World Cup alongside Spain national football team, Uruguay national football team and Cape Verde national football team, with all group matches set to be played in the United States.
The Kingdom has qualified for the World Cup seven times, with their best result a round-of-16 finish in 1994. At the 2022 tournament, Saudi Arabia produced one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history with a 2-1 victory over eventual champions Argentina national football team.
Saudi Arabia is also set to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Source: Saudi Gazette