Just weeks ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Saudi Arabia national football team have officially appointed Georgios Donis as head coach, replacing Hervé Renard in a late change.
Donis arrives from Al-Khaleej FC, where he built a respectable reputation in the Roshn League. The 56-year-old Greek coach brings high club experience from both Saudi Arabia and Greece, even though he steps into international management for the first time.
The appointment comes as the Saudi Football Federation recently decided to part ways with Herve Renard following a series of disappointing results in recent friendlies, bringing an end to his second experience in charge of the Eagles.
Despite his recent lack of form, the Frenchman leaves behind a legacy for the books, including a historic 2-1 victory over Argentina national football team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, one of the biggest shocking moments in the tournament history.
Renard had first taken charge in 2019 before leaving after the 2022 World Cup, only to return in late 2024. In between, he managed the France women’s national football team.
Read also: Saudi Arabia Sacks Herve Renard Two Months Before World Cup
The Saudi FA expects Renard’s successor to deliver on the biggest stage of world football. As a player, Donis hung his boots with Huddersfield, and managed to earn 24 caps for the Greece national football team. According to Sport 24, the former Premier League star is set to collect £4.5million in a period of one a half years.
The appointment also brings a questionable contrast in profiles. Renard has built a strong reputation as a successful international manager. He first started with Zambia, leading them to a historic Africa Cup of Nations title in 2012, before building his legacy with Ivory Coast in 2015, becoming the first coach to ever win AFCON with two different nations.
He then joined Morocco after a short stint with Angola.The French tactician notably led the Atlas Lions to the 2018 World Cup and revived their true identity on the world stage. With Saudi Arabia, he went on to gain a 2–1 victory over Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, one of the tournament’s biggest shocks. Renard also had a short coaching experience with the France women’s national team.
Saudi Arabia are in Group H for this summer’s World Cup, where they will lock horns with Spain, Uruguay, and Cape Verde. Their World Cup journey will begin on June 15 against Uruguay, while their preparations include a friendly against Ecuador national football team on May 30.
With the Saudi FA hoping for their national team to make it out of the group stage for the first time in their history, this late managerial switch is a bold and unexpected move ahead of the most prestigious footballing tournament.
For seasoned watchers of the Saudi team, the only certainty from this gamble is that Donis’s fate with his new team will depend on whether he can hand Saudi Arabia its first qualification to the knockout stage.
