Our Fantasy FIFA World Cup 2026 team previews continue with a look at Saudi Arabia.
Less than two months ago, Georgios Donis was appointed as their new head coach, following a very difficult qualifying campaign.
Still, the Green Falcons are at their third consecutive World Cup. This is their seventh appearance overall, although their only group stage progression took place back in 1994.
The expanded format means they’re not the complete outsiders of past tournaments, according to bookies’ odds. If they can defeat Cabo Verde (or pull off a similar shock to their seismic 2022 win over eventual champions Argentina!), Saudi Arabia have a good chance of third-place advancement.
In these country-by-country guides, we’ll be looking at the best players from each nation, reviewing the road to the World Cup and more.
THE SAUDI ARABIA SQUAD
Many of these names will be familiar to regular readers of our Saudi Fantasy coverage.
- READ MORE: All 48 final squads for the World Cup
THE ROAD TO QUALIFICATION
Under Roberto Mancini, then Herve Renard, it took 18 matches and three group stages for the Saudis to secure qualification.
The middle phase was particularly grim. None of the half-dozen meetings against Japan, Australia or Indonesia was won, while there was a period of just one goal in six.
If it wasn’t for the number of AFC entrants expanding by 50%, Saudi Arabia wouldn’t be here. But, by finishing ahead of Iraq on goals scored, they avoided a one-leg play-off versus Bolivia.
BIGGEST GOAL THREATS IN QUALIFICATION
*note: the xG in the above table is non-penalty
Although far ahead for non-penalty expected goals (NPxG, 4.10) and shots (47, the continent’s second highest), star man, captain and left-winger Salem Al Dawsari ($7.2m) underachieved by only scoring twice.
Ahead of him were number 10 Musab Al Juwayr ($4.1m), back-up centre-forward Saleh Al Shehri ($4.9m) and five-goal striker Feras Al Brikan ($5.3m).
The latter pair netted a penalty, whereas Al Dawsari missed three of them.
MOST CREATIVE PLAYERS
22-year-old Al Juwayr also seems to be his country’s most creative player in terms of assists (three) and key passes (29).
The talismanic Salem Al-Dawsari followed next, while it’s worth highlighting defender Saud Abdulhamid‘s ($4.1m) 17 key passes and two assists from right-back.
SINCE QUALIFICATION
| Date | Opposition | Result | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 November 2025 | v Ivory Coast (h) | 1-0 | Al-Shamat |
| 18 November 2025 | v Algeria (h) | 0-2 | |
| 27 March 2026 | v Egypt (h) | 0-4 | |
| 31 March 2026 | v Serbia (a) | 1-2 | Al-Hamdan |
| 30 May 2026 | v Ecuador (n) | 1-2 | Mandash |
| 5 June 2026 | v Puerto Rico (n) | 3-0 | Mandash, Al-Hamdan, S Al-Dawsari |
| 9 June 2026 | v Senegal (n) | 0-0 |
Removing early December’s Arab Cup, for domestic players, Saudi Arabia have featured seven times since securing their spot.
They lost four in a row, but are fresh from consecutive clean sheets against Panama and Senegal.
Both Sultan Mandash ($4.5m) and Abdullah Al Hamddan ($4.9m) can boast a couple of recent goals, but neither may start in Round 1.
In Tuesday’s 0-0 with Senegal, Al Juwayr had three shots on goal, missed a big chance and made one key pass.
WORLD CUP FIXTURES
It’s pretty simple, this one: ignore Saudi players in the first two Rounds and then consider them as potential Scouting Bonus differentials in Round 3.
TOP FANTASY PICKS
As expected, Saudi ownership is low. Nobody currently exceeds 0.7%, and just Salem Al Dawsari ($7.2m) costs more than $5.6m.
Their captain and star man has three World Cup strikes to his name. Alongside the famous Argentina winner, he’s netted past Egypt (2018) and Mexico (2022).
At club level, his latest three Al-Hilal campaigns accumulated 61 goals in all competitions, cutting in from the left flank to great effect.
AFC’s reigning Player of the Year also won this award in 2023, though there’ll likely only be Fantasy interest for Round 3 versus Cape Verde.
Forward Feras Al Brikan ($5.3m) is another contender, and may inherit penalty-taking duties after Al Dawsari’s three misses from the spot in qualifying.
