We are less than 50 days away from the start of the 2026 World Cup, and teams are already preparing for the most prestigious tournament in the world. A notable change is the one made by one of the rivals of Spain and Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, who have a new head coach.
Greek coach Georgios Donis was appointed as the new head coach of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi federation announced this Thursday. He replaced French coach Hervé Renard, who had been dismissed less than two months before the 2026 World Cup.
Donis arrived to replace Renard, who had been in charge of the team since 2024 and, in his previous stint between 2019 and 2023, had been the architect of the historic win in Qatar 2022 against Argentina, who later became champions.
How Georgios Donis arrives to Saudi Arabia
With extensive experience in Saudi soccer, where he has coached four clubs since 2021, the 56-year-old head coach takes charge ahead of the global tournament, where they will face Uruguay, Spain, who are also dealing with concern over the injury of Lamine Yamal, and Cape Verde.
Georgios Donis during a Al Khaleej match.
The Middle Eastern side, which in the March FIFA window lost to Egypt 0-4 and Serbia 1-2, will also play a friendly before the World Cup against Ecuador in New Jersey.
Donis career
A Greek born in Germany, Donis developed his playing career between Greece and England, representing Greece in 24 matches, while in 2003, he made his debut as a head coach.
Since then, he coached in Greece, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel, but since 2021, he had been in the Middle East, where he coached Al Hilal, Al Wehda, Al Fateh and Al Khaleej.
