Having replaced Roberto Mancini at the helm, the familiar face of the French coach is back on Australian soil for a crunch World Cup qualifier
French coach Hervé Renard has returned to Saudi Arabia in a bid to qualify the team for the 2026 World Cup. First up for him is the Socceroos in Melbourne.French coach Hervé Renard has returned to Saudi Arabia in a bid to qualify the team for the 2026 World Cup. First up for him is the Socceroos in Melbourne.shock come-from-behind triumph over eventual champions Argentina
in Qatar. While a pair of chastening defeats to Poland and Mexico ensured the Green Falcons quickly came crashing back to earth and were eventually eliminated at the group stage, there were enough signs of progress to give them hope for the future, even without obvious hints of grander plans to come.“We have made history for Saudi football and it will stay for ever, that is most important, but we also need to look forward,” head coach Hervé Renard said at the time.
Mancini apologised for his early exit in Uzbekistan but the damage was largely done without improved results that might have turned the mood around. When the Saudis limped through the second round of 2026 World Cup qualification to finish runners-up behind Jordan, then failed to make the most of a kind start to their fixtures in a challenging group in the next round,With momentum stalling on the pitch, Saudi Arabia have looked back in search of a way forward.
A pair of matches on the road against Australia and Indonesia will give Renard an idea of where the current Saudi squad is at, with extra time to work with them during the Gulf Cup in Kuwait from late December an added bonus, but much of his work should become clearer when the qualifiers kick off again next March.
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