Saudi Arabia have plenty of time to assemble a team to be proud of when they host the World Cup in 2034.
But for the tournament that is upon us now? Time is rapidly running out for a side that has been trending in the wrong direction for a while now.
Yes, they have qualified for the seventh time from the past nine World Cups (they missed out in 2010 and 2014). But expectations are low for a variety of reasons.
How Saudi Arabia qualified for the 2026 World Cup
Asian qualifying for World Cups is an exhausting process, and Saudi Arabia made heavy weather of it.
After finishing second behind Jordan in a group that also included Tajikistan and Pakistan, they entered a tough pool for the third round of qualifying.
They were off the pace in that, finishing a distance behind automatic qualifiers Japan and Australia.
That put them into a three-team play-off in which – fortunately for them – the dice was loaded in their favour.
Playing on home soil in Jeddah, and with a longer break between matches than either of their opponents, they made it to the World Cup via a 3-2 win over Indonesia and a 0-0 draw with Iraq.
How are they shaping up?
Badly, in a word. They might have exited the last World Cup, in Qatar, at the group stage. But good vibes still abounded at that competition, chiefly because of one memorable result in front of packed stands in Doha.
In their opening match, the Green Falcons inflicted defeat on an Argentina side, led by the great Lionel Messi, who went on to win the tournament.
The decline has been steady in the time since the Qatar World Cup. At that stage – December 2022 – Saudi Arabia were 49th in the Fifa world rankings. Three and a half years later, they have dipped to 61st.
The reasons for the drop off have been many and varied. The following year saw seismic changes to the domestic game in the kingdom.
The Public Investment Fund had taken over the running of four big clubs, poured lavish riches into the professional game, and attracted some of the world game’s biggest stars.
The Saudi Pro League has been transformed by the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. But it has also curbed the game time of some of the leading Saudi Arabian players.
That has had a clear effect on the performance of the national team. And then there has been the manager merry-go-round.
Mancini out, Renard returns and leaves again
Herve Renard became a global football celebrity at the Qatar World Cup when video of his impassioned pep talk to the players in the Argentina game went viral.
He was beloved by the Saudi Arabian football fraternity at the time, but his star has plummeted since.
First, he gave up the job to become coach of the France women’s team instead. As his long-term replacement, Roberto Mancini was appointed on a four-year deal.
It was an appointment that captured the zeitgeist: a suave Italian manager well used to dealing with superstar players and delivering success.
In a country that now had the likes of Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar playing in its football stadiums on a weekly basis, Mancini seemed a good fit.
But Saudi Arabian football fans can see when they are being had over. Mancini turned out to be a dud, and not a very likeable one either.
He angered supporters by walking out on a penalty shoot-out in the 2023 Asian Cup, and was eased out with three years left of his four-year contract still to run.
In his place came a familiar face. Renard was re-hired, declared himself askance that everything he had built had turned sour in the time he was gone, and struggled to endear himself to the public he had left behind.
Donis’ 50-day rescue mission
At least Saudi Arabia made it back to the World Cup under Renard. But that was about the best of it.
Performances were bland. Renard lacked the spark of his first term. And, amid the drudgery, he had reportedly been eyeing a switch to Ghana for the World Cup.
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation retained him just long enough for Ghana to appoint Carlos Queiroz instead, then summarily cut Renard loose.
In his place, they have brought in Georgios Donis, a 56-year-old German-born Greek coach plucked straight from the Saudi Pro League.
Since first arriving at Riyadh giants Al Hilal in 2015, Donis has had a good look around the Saudi Arabian league.
Stints at Al Wehda, Al Fateh and Al Khaleej mean he has built up a bank of information on the players who are now at his disposal.
But time is at a premium: between his appointment and first match against Uruguay is a gap of just 50 days.
Disciplinary issues
Clearly, Donis has his work cut out to match the Green Falcons’ finest finish at a World Cup. The last time it was staged in the United States, in 1994, Saudi Arabia made it to the last 16 on their debut in the competition.
He needs to get a tune out of undercooked players, but at least he knows many of them well. Feras Al Brikan, for example, first made his name at an Al Fateh side coached by Donis.
The striker’s excellence there earned him a move to Jeddah giants Al Ahli Saudi.
He has become a two-time Asian Champions League Elite winner with them, scoring the solitary goal that completed that trophy double when they beat Japan’s Machida Zelvia in the final last month.
That tournament showed in microcosm the problems facing Donis. A Saudi Arabian team ended up champions of Asia – yet achieved it with mostly foreign players. Ahli started the final with just two local players in the starting XI.
Those finals also showed up a disciplinary issue that Donis needs to address. Between the quarters and final of that competition in Jeddah, Ahli had three players sent off; despite the ratio of foreigners to locals, all three were Saudi Arabian.
Ali Majrashi and Zakaria Hawsawi were both shown red for serious foul play, while Mohammed Abdulrahman managed to get himself sent off while sat on the bench protesting a decision in the final.
No doubt Donis will be demanding fire in the bellies of his players. Just as importantly, though, they will need ice on their minds if they are to make an impact on the tournament in North America.
Fixtures
Group H
v Uruguay, June 16 in Miami
v Spain, June 21 in Atlanta
v Cape Verde, June 27 in Houston
Squad
Goalkeepers: Mohammed Al Owais (Al Ula) Nawaf Al Aqidi (Al Nassr), Ahmed Al Kassar (Al Qadsiah), Abdulqudus Attiah (Al Taawoun)
Defenders: Abdulelah Al Amri (Al Nassr), Hassan Tambakti (Al Hilal), Jehad Thikri (Al Qadsiah), Ali Lajami (Al Hilal), Hassan Kadesh (Al Ittihad), Saud Abdulhamid (RC Lens), Mohammed Abu Al Shamat (Al Qadsiah), Ali Majrashi (Al Ahli), Moteb Al Harbi (Al Hilal), Nawaf Boushal (Al Nassr), Zakaria Hawsawi (Al Ahli).
Midfielders: Mohammed Kanno (Al Hilal), Abdullah Al Khaibari (Al Nassr), Ziyad Al Johani (Al Ahli), Nasser Al Dawsari (Al Hilal), Musab Al Juwayr (Al Qadsiah), Alaa Al Hajji (NEOM SC), Salem Al Dawsari (Al Hilal), Khalid Al Ghannam (Al Ettifaq), Ayman Yahya (Al Nassr), Sultan Mandash (Al Hilal), Saleh Abu Al Shamat (Al Ahli).
Forwards: Feras Al Buraikan (Al Ahli), Abdullah Al Salem (Al Qadsiah), Saleh Al Shehri (Al Ittihad), Abdullah Al Hamdan (Al Nassr).
