On a sunny winter afternoon at Lusail Stadium in 2022, Saudi Arabia pulled off one of the biggest upsets in football history.
Down a goal at half-time, the Green Falcons struck twice early in the second half to take a 2-1 lead over eventual champions Argentina.
The result washed away World Cup humiliations from previous tournaments.
No longer was anyone talking about the 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Russia in the 2018 opener or the 8-0 loss to Germany in 2002.
Instead, the world was talking about the team’s passionate supporters and the country’s football culture.
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At the conclusion of the tournament, the Saudi Pro League (SPL) seized on the momentum, with Al-Nassr securing the signature of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Six months later, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), took stakes in the country’s four biggest clubs and began underwriting the acquisition of several star footballers.
‘It has only been a couple of years [since PIF invested], but maybe we will see a jump by the time we host the World Cup’
– Nasser Khalfan, Al-Hilal supporter
Three years after the influx of cash, Saudi football has been transformed.
SPL clubs dominate Asian club competitions, and the starting line-ups of the biggest clubs contain some of the biggest names in world football.
Riyadh’s Al-Hilal showed how far the league had come with a 4-3 upset against Manchester City in the Round of 16 of the Club World Cup.
For all the success and notoriety of the league, there has yet to be any noticeable improvement in the performance of the national team.
“It is great that we have some of the best players and coaches now in Saudi Arabia. It has only been a couple of years [since PIF invested], but maybe we will see a jump by the time we host the World Cup,” Nasser Khalfan, an Al-Hilal supporter planning to attend the team’s matches in the US this summer, told MEE.
A league transformed
In many ways, that famous 2-1 win over Argentina papered over the cracks in Saudi football.
Increasing the foreign player quota from five to 10 only deepened the crisis, as teams are required to have just three Saudis on the pitch at any given time.
The disconnect between investment in the league and the performance of the national team has many comparing the situation to China a decade ago.
Spending in China peaked in the winter of 2017, when the Chinese Super League outspent the Premier League in the transfer market and total spending exceeded €1bn.
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The project failed to improve the level of the national team and has since been abandoned in favour of sustainability. China has introduced a salary cap of 600 million yuan (€76m) covering all football operations, while limiting salaries for domestic and foreign players.
To avert a similar financial crisis, the PIF has solicited outside investment.
A 70 percent stake in Al-Hilal has been sold to Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, while Al-Riyadh, Abha, Al-Fateh, Al-Tai and Al-Shoulla are for sale to private investors as the state seeks to minimise its exposure to risk.
Saudi football had to be bailed out once before, in 2018, to the tune of $333m, and there is little appetite to do that again.
For those who believe in the credit theory of money, the SPL project provides a living example of currency representing little more than transferable debt.
Despite the eye-watering sums spent on football, fans have largely been supportive of the project.
“Yes, the government spent a lot of money, but I think it is changing sport in Saudi Arabia for the better. I remember before the 2018 World Cup we sent players to Spain [on loan] and they did not play for their clubs. Now Saudi players have some of the best players in the world as their teammates,” Khalfan told MEE.
Glory days and growing expectations
The investments made by the PIF have yet to yield any tangible results for the national team, whose record in major competitions makes for sombre reading.
The Green Falcons followed up the 2-1 win over Argentina by losing to Poland and Mexico and failing to advance beyond the group stage. Saudi Arabia have not fared any better in continental competition.
The kingdom debuted at the Asian Cup in 1984 and promptly lifted the trophy. Saudi Arabia would contest the final of the quadrennial competition five more times between 1988 and 2007, emerging victorious on two further occasions.
‘I’m not downbeat on their chances. I’m not bullish on their chances, either. They have the talent. Let’s see if they can deliver’
– Paul Williams, The Asian Game
The team’s success captured the imagination of an entire region. So much so that when the famous anime Captain Tsubasa was dubbed into Arabic, the title was changed to Captain Majed in honour of Saudi Arabia’s star striker, Majed Abdullah.
Stories of the national team’s success on the football pitch are now a matter of historical lore for many Saudis. The median age in the kingdom is just under 24 years old, meaning the majority of the population is too young to remember the last time the team won a knockout-stage match at an Asian Cup two decades ago.
The run-up to the 2026 World Cup finals has been a struggle.
The Saudi Football Federation poached Roberto Mancini from Italy, attracted by the work he had done to transform a fallen giant into European champions in 2021. The former Sampdoria midfield maestro was handed a four-year contract in August 2023 worth $100m, with a remit to do for Saudi Arabia what he had done for Italy.
The Marchigiano lasted just 14 months in the job and left the national team languishing in the World Cup qualification table with five points from four games. In his final press conference, he blamed Salem al-Dawsari, who missed penalties in draws against Indonesia and Bahrain.
Searching for answers
Faced with the prospect of missing out on World Cup qualification, the Saudi Football Federation turned to an old friend and reappointed former manager Herve Renard.
The mood in the camp improved, but the issues plaguing the team remained.
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The Frenchman did just enough to qualify Saudi Arabia but was given his marching orders following a 4-0 loss to Egypt in March.
His replacement, Giorgios Donis, was hired specifically for his experience coaching in the local league but has been given less than six weeks to prepare the team.
Saudi Arabia’s seventh participation at the Fifa World Cup sees them grouped with Spain, Uruguay and Cape Verde.
The team’s most glaring issues are at both ends of the pitch. For all the investment in Saudi football, the team has struggled to score goals, managing just 10 in their last 12 World Cup qualifiers.
“I would be more concerned if they weren’t creating chances,” Paul Williams, founder of The Asian Game, told MEE. “The issue comes down to finishing … and you can’t fix finishing in a week. That’s going to be an issue.”
In goal, none of the three goalkeepers in the squad starts for a team in the Saudi top flight, raising questions about the team’s readiness to stop the prolific attacks of Spain and Uruguay.
“I’m not downbeat on their chances. I’m not bullish on their chances, either. They have the talent. Let’s see if they can deliver,” said Williams.
With the Asian Cup due to be hosted in the kingdom in just over six months’ time and the Fifa World Cup arriving in 2034, fans will hope success this summer can kick-start a new era of dominance.
