Mission accomplished for Hervé Renard and Saudi Arabia. While the Green Falcons only needed a small point to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, they provided the essentials on Tuesday evening to validate their ticket to America.
As part of the 4th round of the Asian zone qualifiers, the Saudis won a crucial draw against Iraq (0-0) in Jeddah. Dominant, Hervé Renard's men did not manage to find the fault, but that did not detract from their happiness of finishing at the top of group B, thanks to a better goal difference.
Saudi Arabia will thus participate in the seventh World Cup in its history, after those of 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 then 2018 and 2022. A huge relief for Hervé Renard, who declared before this decisive meeting against the Iraqis: “ For me, this match is the most important of my career. »
“Thank you everyone for calling me back.”
“ It wasn't easy a few months ago, but we managed, declared the former Lille coach after the meeting. This is the most important. Thanks everyone for reminding me. Some may not have been happy, but the most important thing is that in the end we succeeded. Since 2019 you have been fantastic to me. So thank you. »
After leading Saudi Arabia to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Hervé Renard returned to the Green Falcons bench a year ago, following the ousting of Italian technician Roberto Mancini. The Frenchman will therefore participate in his second World Cup in a row at the head of the Sudanese selection.
