After their most successful club struck out in their attempts to build a superstar squad, the pressure is on for Saudi Arabian football this week. Both the meeting with the USMNT in the Gold Cup and Real Madrid in the Club World Cup represent yardsticks for the progression of a sport that is at the center of the kingdom’s soft power development. Neither is shaping up to go particularly well.
First comes the game that has consumed so much attention in Riyadh in recent weeks, the great powers of Champions League both Asian and European facing off in Miami. Since the last Club World Cup, held in Jeddah, finished, Al-Hilal’s involvement in the next one has taken on all-consuming importance. The competition seems to have only grown since Surj Sports Investment, part of sovereign wealth fund PIF, invested in its broadcaster DAZN.
How to watch Saudi Arabia vs. USMNT, odds
- Date: Thursday, June 19 | Time: 9:15 p.m. ET
- Location: Q2 Stadium — Austin, Texas
- TV: FS1 | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
- Odds: Saudi Arabia +500; Draw +280; USMNT -185
Senior figures in Saudi football have long viewed occasions such as the Club World Cup as an opportunity to assert the importance of a football-mad nation on a global scale. In 2023 Al-Ittihad were afforded first pick of some of the biggest stars in the sport to ensure that they made a good impression on the Club World Cup, muscling Al-Nassr out of a deal for N’Golo Kante as the France international was bound for Riyadh. It would not be the last time the men’s world champion found his future dictated by Gianni Infantino’s brainchild.
As the pre-Club World Cup transfer window accelerated towards its closure, Al-Hilal alighted on N’Golo Kante as the man to solve their midfield issues, proposing a loan from Al-Ittihad for the duration of the tournament. The deal was close to being finalized but, according to CBS Sports sources, collapsed amid a fan outcry in Riyadh and much frustration within the rest of the Pro League.
Having struck out on big-name targets such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Victor Osimhen, the final days of the window had, per sources, seen Al-Hilal chase a number of big-name loanees from within the Pro League. Riyadh Mahrez is understood to be another they targeted while one source even suggested there were high-level conversations about bringing in Karim Benzema and Moussa Diaby from Al-Ittihad.
None were successful, Al-Hilal’s only major addition being in the dugout, where Simone Inzaghi was snared from Inter with the biggest salary of any coach in the sport. Justifying the inaction in the window, chairman Fahad Bin Saad Bin Nafel said that work for the tournament had “begun a long time ago,” right back in the rush of acquisitions across the Pro League in 2023, with Inzaghi’s presence offering a “qualitative leap in the coaching level” at the club. “We have worked during the past period to bring in additions that will elevate Al-Hilal’s level,” he said. “Unfortunately, we were not lucky, primarily due to time constraints and secondly because of unreasonable bidding wars.”
How to watch Real Madrid vs. Al-Hilal, odds
- Date: Wednesday, June 18 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Hard Rock Stadium — Miami Gardens, Florida
- TV: TNT | Live stream: Watch on DAZN (Try for free)
- Odds: Real Madrid -360; Draw +450; Al-Hilal +800
There is still quality on the Al-Hilal roster, spearheaded by Aleksandar Mitrovic and Marcos Leonardo with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Joao Cancelo among those behind them. It is just that now Neymar has departed there is nothing of the stardust that Thursday’s opponents Real Madrid will have right across the pitch. Al-Hilal have long coveted Vinicius Junior and, as CBS Sports revealed in the summer of 2023, were ready to drop a 10-figure sum on Kylian Mbappe.
As they line up against those who have spurned them, Thursday’s game will offer some harsh truths for Saudi Arabia’s most prestigious side. The best and brightest in the game — from Mbappe to Trent Alexander-Arnold — will move heaven and earth to get to Madrid. Meanwhile, Al-Hilal are not yet at a stage where many of those same stars can be tempted with riches beyond what they could earn in Europe.
Inzaghi will not be the only coach of a Saudi side wondering how much stronger his roster might have been. After all, for all that Al-Hilal might not have acquired the international players they wanted, there are several homegrown stars who have excelled for them. Saudi investment in DAZN appears to have the Club World Cup a compelling prospect for its participants. The price of that is being paid by national sides who have to cope without key players. For Saudi Arabia, as they face the United States men’s national team in the Gold Cup, that means among others no Salem Al-Dawsari, the top active scorer and the Pro League’s leading assist provider, and no Hassan Altambakt, one of the stars of the famous win over Argentina in the 2022 World Cup.
The Arabian Falcons have struggled to build on that famous day in Lusail, Roberto Mancini sacked after a bad start to World Cup qualifying and the mastermind of the win over the world champions, Herve Renard, struggling to get the necessary results to secure a passage back to North America next summer. A 2-1 defeat to Australia in Jeddah means Saudi Arabia face a crucial qualification double header in October; much like the USMNT they need the competitive tune-up that the Gold Cup provides.
That much was apparent in a 1-0 win over Haiti secured from the penalty spot when Saleh Al Shehri struck midway through the first half.
Saudi Arabia’s match against Haiti in the Gold Cup was expected to be a straightforward win for the top Asian side. However, the game turned out to be more balanced than anticipated, with Haiti outshooting their opponents 13 to seven and having a higher expected goals (xG) of 0.63 compared to Saudi Arabia’s 0.48.
Despite Saudi Arabia’s higher ranking in FIFA’s men’s rankings at 58th, the match against Haiti proved to be a challenge. The president of the Saudi Football Federation, Yasser Al-Misehal, had expressed confidence in the team’s ability to showcase the status of Saudi football with a strong performance in the Gold Cup.
The expectations were high for Saudi Arabia, especially in their upcoming match against the USMNT. The pressure was on to deliver a competitive performance against Mauricio Pochettino’s team in Austin. Failing to meet these expectations could result in a setback for Saudi Arabia, particularly after a likely defeat for Al-Hilal the previous night.
Despite significant investments in Saudi football in recent years, the team may need to make further improvements to compete at the highest level. The upcoming match against the USMNT will be a crucial test of Saudi Arabia’s capabilities and their position in international football.
In conclusion, Saudi Arabia’s performance in the Gold Cup has been a mixed bag, with unexpected challenges against Haiti and high expectations for the match against the USMNT. The team will need to step up and deliver a strong performance to prove their status in Asian football and beyond.
