The time for recovery has come for Hervé Renard. The now former coach of the French women's Football team officially makes his return to the bench with Saudi Arabia, a team he had already coached between 2019 and 2023, and which faces Australia this Thursday, November 14.
In great difficulty in the qualifying phase for the 2026 World Cup (only one victory in their last five matches), the Saudis only occupy third place in Group C of Asian qualifications. Without an electric shock, they will not see the United States, Canada and Mexico in 18 months. During the last World Cup in Qatar, Hervé Renard allowed the Saudis to beat Argentina, the future winner of the competition, in the group stage (2-1).
So here he is today tasked with relaunching this team. “In football, there is always a lot of pressure,” he said, very smiling, at a press conference the day before the match, as evidenced by the images transmitted by BeIN Sports. We always dream of the best, and that is to win every match. Sometimes it's not possible but we have to fight to get there. » And continued: “it's going to be a very interesting match, a very very important match for both teams so we have to approach it well. »
“I think it’s going to be a big match,” confirmed one of his players, Saleh Al-Shehri. We know that we are fighting for second place in the group with Australia. We are in the best possible shape, and that should help us earn our three points tomorrow. » After this trip to Australia, the Saudis will travel to Indonesia for another meeting of these qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held on November 19.
