Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia enter World Cup 2026 in Group H, where the early tests are Spain, Uruguay, and Cape Verde. Saudi Arabia have never won the World Cup, but they reached the Round of 16 in 1994 and produced one of 2022's defining upsets by beating Argentina. The current squad is shaped around Salem Al-Dawsari, Firas Al-Buraikan, and Ali Al-Bulaihi, a core that gives the team recognizable quality in the moments that usually decide group-stage matches: set pieces, transition attacks, and pressure around the box.

For this tournament, the assignment is both tactical and psychological: start quickly, protect the middle of the pitch, and make the group feel uncomfortable before the knockout picture forms. The route out of Group H is difficult but not impossible. Al-Dawsari gives them a proven big-stage finisher, and defensive discipline will decide whether they can stay close. If Saudi Arabia can turn its best individual stretches into a full 90-minute platform, the campaign has room to grow beyond a simple participation story.