According to RMC Sport, Hervé Renard has been dismissed from his position as the coach of Saudi Arabia, just two months before the World Cup (June 11 – July 19).
Deprived of the World Cup less than two months before the start of the competition. According to RMC Sport, Hervé Renard learned on Friday that he was no longer the coach of Saudi Arabia. The French coach was immediately dismissed by the president of the Saudi Federation and will not be on the bench for the 2026 World Cup. He was there during the last edition in Qatar in 2022, where he led his team to one of the most sensational victories of the competition with a prestigious win in the group stage against Argentina (2-1), the eventual winner.
Despite this outstanding performance, his team failed to qualify for the round of 16 after two defeats against Poland (2-0) and Mexico (2-1). He resigned from his position a few months later, in March 2023, to become the coach of the French women’s national team. His time with the French team ended in the quarterfinals of the Paris 2024 Olympics. He was then reappointed by Saudi Arabia in October 2024.
Several Saudi media outlets recently speculated about the possible removal of the former Sochaux coach after losses to Egypt (4-0) and Serbia (2-1) in friendly matches in March. Faced with these rumors, the main character explained to RMC Sport in late March that he was not aware of anything. Just over two weeks later, the hammer finally fell.
Hervé Renard will not be participating in a third consecutive World Cup after those in 2018 with Morocco (eliminated in the group stage with one point) and in 2022 with Saudi Arabia. His name was briefly mentioned as a potential candidate to lead Ghana after Otto Addo’s dismissal in March. However, Portuguese Carlos Queiroz was ultimately appointed last week. Saudi Arabia, which is set to host the 2034 edition, will be participating in the seventh World Cup in its history, the third in a row. They will be competing in Group H with matches against Uruguay (June 16, in Miami), Spain (June 21, in Atlanta), and Cape Verde (June 27, in Houston).
