Sami Al-Jaber, former star of Al-Hilal and the Saudi national team, revealed details of the meeting between the French coach Hervé Renard, head of the Green Falcons, and his Croatian counterpart Zlatko Dalić, on the sidelines of the 2026 World Cup draw ceremony held in the U.S. capital, Washington.

Al-Jaber explained in statements on MBC channel that the meeting between the coaches included discussions about the possibility of organizing a friendly match between the Saudi and Croatian national teams as part of the preparation program for the World Cup finals, seeking strong competition ahead of the tournament's start.

Al-Jaber pointed out that the Croatian national team is close in level to the Spanish team and also has outstanding players. This aligns with Renard’s vision, who aims to face teams with a high technical level similar to Uruguay and Spain, both of which are in a strong group with Saudi Arabia in the World Cup.

The former Green Star concluded his statements by emphasizing that Hervé Renard's presence at the draw ceremony was insisted upon by Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, due to Renard's extensive experience and his participation in the World Cup for the third time. He confirmed that the Saudi Football Federation did not hesitate to fulfill this request.