Saudi Arabia World Cup qualifiers: Three key takeaways
After a slow start to life as Saudi Arabia coach, Roberto Mancini finally had something to celebrate as his Green Falcons side claimed two wins from two in their opening 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Pakistan and Jordan, putting them at the top of Group G.
While the road to the 2026 finals in the US, Mexico and Canada began positively, there are still plenty of questions for Mancini as he looks ahead to the upcoming group games scheduled for March 2024.
Al Arabiya English identifies three key takeaways from Saudi Arabia’s World Cup qualifiers.
Al-Shehri shines
Many baulked at Mancini’s decision to omit popular Al Ahli striker Firas Al-Buraikan from his most recent squad, but the Italian was vindicated after putting his faith in Saleh Al-Shehri to lead the Saudi line. The Al Hilal forward claimed a brace in both the 4-0 victory over Pakistan and the 2-0 win against Jordan and is behind only Japan’s Ayase Ueda and Qatar’s Almoez Ali at the top of the AFC World Cup qualifying scoring charts.
Al-Shehri famously scored the Green Falcons’ equalizer in their historic victory over Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and he showed Mancini that he remains a man for the important occasions.
Rainy conditions at the Al Fateh Stadium made for an unusual backdrop to a home match in the Kingdom, but didn’t stop Al-Shehri as he rifled home an early left-foot strike to open the scoring against Pakistan. He doubled Saudi Arabia’s lead after winning and converting a penalty before a pair of late goals from Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Abdullah Radif put more of a gloss on the scoreline.
In Jordan a few days later, Al-Shehri remained in fine form – his glancing header from Abbas Al-Hassan’s left-wing free-kick sending Mancini’s side on their way to a 2-0 win in Amman. The second goal was another instinctive finish as he slid Ali Abdullah Hazazi’s through-ball under Jordan goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila.
Goals had been hard to come by for Saudi Arabia in recent months so Al-Shehri’s glut was well-timed but Mancini will likely be keeping a close eye on how much the striker is involved at club level, given he is fighting with Aleksandar Mitrovic for a spot in the Al Hilal starting XI.
Bright young things
Mancini’s squad selection sparked much discussion in the lead-up to these two qualifiers, particularly his choice to include a mix of younger players and debutants over several more experienced faces. Ultimately, it resulted in a gradual integration of Saudi Arabia’s promising young talents rather than a revolutionary change, but there were plenty of reasons for optimism.
“I chose the best players, and we played with respect in order to win the three points,” Mancini said after beating Pakistan. “In football, there are no guarantees, we have to show up, play the best way we can and only then we can think about qualifying.”
Nineteen-year-old Al Fateh midfielder Abbas Al-Hassan and 20-year-old Al Shabab forward Abdullah Radif both started against Jordan, with the latter included after bagging his first international goal in the victory over Pakistan. Debutant Awn Al-Saluli of Al Taawoun played both matches and helped Saudi Arabia to successive clean sheets, strengthening the argument that he should be included in the backline moving forward.
There were also Green Falcons debuts for Eid Al-Muwallad (Al Okhdood), Abbas Al-Hassan (Al Fateh) and Mutaq Faqeehi (Al Taawoun), though 16-year-old Al Ittihad striker Tala Haji was not handed his international bow. Still, the talented teenager will certainly have benefited from his first senior call-up and remains an exciting prospect for the future.
Saudi Arabia’s next match will be tougher than their opener, with Tajikistan travelling to the Kingdom in March; it remains to be seen if Mancini will again put trust in his new guard or open the door for some of Saudi’s omitted veterans to return.
Jordan jinx quashed
The victory against Jordan was particularly morale-boosting for Saudi Arabia, given they had lost their previous three matches against the team from the Hashemite Kingdom. In front of a partisan home crowd in Amman, Al-Shehri’s brace handed the Green Falcons a first victory over Jordan in eight years and only a second since 2011. Many of football’s best coaches have relied on good omens over the years and beating Jordan is certainly a favorable one for Mancini in only his second competitive game.
Overall performances against both Pakistan and Jordan weren’t exactly sparkling for Saudi Arabia. The Green Falcons were expected to thrash Pakistan – who were soundly beaten by Tajikistan 6-1 in their second match – but were not particularly ruthless against much poorer opponents on paper.
Against Jordan, Saudi Arabia benefitted from wayward finishing by the hosts to keep a second clean sheet in as many games and continue their 100 percent start but again it was not a particularly impressive display. However, this is a team and squad in transition and ultimately, Mancini and the Green Falcons fans were able to celebrate two wins. In World Cup qualifiers it is results, not performances, on which the team should be judged.
