The Saudi Arabian Football Federation announced on Thursday the appointment of Greek coach Giorgos Donis to lead the national team, succeeding French coach Hervé Renard, in a move aimed at reorganizing the coaching staff before the upcoming events, particularly the 2026 World Cup scheduled to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The Federation clarified in an official statement published via its account on the "X" platform that a contract was signed with coach Donis extending until July 2027, following the consensual termination of the contractual relationship with former coach Hervé Renard, within the framework of a new direction betting on injecting different coaching blood into the national team. This decision comes at a sensitive time, as the Saudi national team prepares to enter the World Cup in less than two months, which makes the new coach's mission linked to major challenges, most notably establishing technical stability and raising the physical and tactical readiness of the players in a limited time frame. Donis is expected to begin his duties in the coming few days, in order to outline the features of the next stage, amid widespread public and media anticipation regarding his ability to lead "Al-Akhdar" in one of the most important footballing stages in its modern history.
