Saudi Arabia appoint Georgios Donis head coach until 2027

Saudi Arabia appointed Greek Georgios Donis as coach of the national team until July 2027 on Thursday, replacing Frenchman Herve Renard less than two months before the World Cup in North America.

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation said in a statement on X that Donis had signed a contract to take charge of the senior team following the settlement of Renard's contractual situation.

Donis, 56, has coached several European clubs, including Greek sides AEK Athens and PAOK, the federation said.

During his coaching career, Donis has won the Cypriot league title and Cypriot Cup in 2013-14, in addition to major honors in Saudi Arabia including the King’s Cup in 2015, the Crown Prince Cup in 2015-16 and the Saudi Super Cup in 2015.

Saudi Arabia are busy preparing for the World Cup in June-July, which will be co hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation said it will hold a press conference in Riyadh with the national team's coaching staff before the squad depart for their training camp in the United States.

Renard, who took charge of Saudi for his second spell in 2024, led the three time Asian champions to qualify for the World Cup where they will play in Group H alongside Spain, Uruguay and Cape Verde.

The Saudi federation added that a press conference featuring the new coaching staff will be held in Riyadh before the national team departs for its final training camp in the United States ahead of the tournament.