From Maccabi Tel Aviv misfire to Saudi Arabia’s World Cup coach

Yorgos Donis, who had a brief and forgettable spell at Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2020, will be on the touchline at the 2026 World Cup as Saudi Arabia’s coach. The 56-year-old Greek, who was born in Frankfurt, coached Maccabi from August to December 2020, took the team through a Europa League round but was sacked while it sat fifth, with Patrick van Leeuwen replacing him.

Five years later, Saudi Arabia chose him for a tournament where 48 coaches are in charge. Donis was appointed only two months before the World Cup and is the newest coach in the competition. Saudi Arabia, which has invested heavily in football and brought stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Sadio Mané to its clubs, picked a coach who has spent recent years working mainly with smaller Saudi teams.

After leaving Maccabi, Donis joined Al Wahda in March 2021, four months later, but lasted only six games there before moving on. He then stabilized Al Fateh, finishing eighth in his first season and sixth in the next with Christian Tello in the squad. He later returned to Al Wahda, where the club finished 13th and he won only two of his last 17 matches, then moved to Al Khaleej, improving them from 13th to 12th and later leaving in April with the team 10th.

Saudi reports say his appeal lies in his knowledge of local football and players, especially in a national team expected to play a more structured style than the league’s foreign-filled, attack-heavy clubs. He has coached at least 10 Saudi national-team players, including star Salem Al-Dawsari, and is credited with helping develop players such as Fares Al Buraikan. Saudi Arabia has an eye on advancing from a World Cup group that also includes Spain, Uruguay and Cape Verde, with four points likely enough to progress from third place. Donis has a contract through 2027, but the article says it is hard to imagine him still in charge by then.