Renard returns to Ivory Coast after being linked to South Korea job

Hervé Renard, the 57-year-old French coach who had been mentioned as a candidate to lead South Korea's men's national football team, will return to the helm of Ivory Coast for the first time in more than a decade.

The Ivory Coast Football Federation announced Tuesday that it had appointed Renard as head coach of the national team, according to Reuters and other outlets.

Ivory Coast reached the knockout stage of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup for the first time in history under coach Emerse Faé, but bowed out in the round of 32 after a 1-2 loss to Norway.

The federation parted ways with Faé when his contract expired Friday, leaving the head coach position vacant.

Ivory Coast then began searching for a successor and turned to Renard, who had recently departed Tunisia.

Renard had stepped in as a mid-tournament replacement for Tunisia during the World Cup.

After Tunisia suffered a heavy 1-5 defeat to Sweden in their opening group-stage match, the federation immediately replaced the coach and handed Renard the reins.

Renard, however, was unable to turn the team around. Tunisia lost to both Japan and the Netherlands, finishing the tournament with three straight defeats and an early exit.

Renard has previously managed the national teams of Zambia, Angola, Morocco, Zambia again and Saudi Arabia. He also led the French women's national team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Between 2014 and 2015, he coached Ivory Coast and guided the team to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations title.

Renard is also a familiar name to South Korean football fans, having been considered a candidate for the national team job during the appointment processes for former coaches Paulo Bento and Hong Myung-bo. He had continued to be mentioned as a potential successor after Hong stepped down following the North and Central America World Cup.

Renard will now look to lead Ivory Coast to another Africa Cup of Nations title at the 2027 edition, co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.