Deja Vu Haunts Renard as Saudi Arabia Struggles Ahead of World Cup 2026

Déjà Vu Haunts Renard as Saudi Arabia Faces Serbia

In the run up to the 2026 World Cup co hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, French coach Hervé Renard finds himself wrestling with a familiar sensation that history is repeating itself as results wobble and confidence wavers.

Déjà vu, a French term meaning seen before, describes the pattern Renard has noticed. He senses echoes of past spells of poor form as Saudi Arabia chase confidence before the finals.

Saudi Arabia suffered a 1-2 defeat to Serbia in a friendly at the TSC Arena in Belgrade, the latest setback in a sequence that has fans worried about the Green Falcons ahead of the World Cup.

In March alone the team also faced a 4-0 loss to Egypt and a 0-1 loss to Jordan in the Arab Cup semi final last December, creating a rough spell that heightens scrutiny on Renard and his plan.

Renard now faces pressure as the results stall. This would mark a second time in three years that Saudi Arabia endures three straight defeats under his leadership, a note that sticks in memory from his earlier stint with the team. If the trend continues, questions about his future will grow louder inside the federation and among supporters alike.

Looking back to his first tenure, Renard oversaw a tougher stretch with four consecutive losses in late 2022 including World Cup losses to Poland and Mexico and friendly defeats to Venezuela and Bolivia. He left to coach the France women team and returned in 2024 to take the job again, seeking to stabilize the ship before the next major tournament.

Whether Renard can arrest the slide remains uncertain. The federation would not hesitate to act if results do not improve, but for now he stays in the hot seat as the World Cup looms and the pressure rises with every setback.

Renard has coached 22 matches with the Green Falcons, with 11 losses in his first spell and 11 in his second. That total makes him the most defeated Saudi coach in the modern era, eight losses clear of the next name on the list.

Punchline time 1: If losses keep stacking, Renard might start autographing the scoreboard for his next career as a weather forecaster. Punchline time 2: Maybe the team should try a new tactic called deja vu defense — just confuse the scoreline by remembering the last result before it happens.