They may not count Neymar among their ranks anymore but there’ll be plenty of familiar faces sporting the colours of Al-Hilal at the FIFA Club World Cup this summer.
The ambitious Saudi club are the second-but-last team to be previewed ahead of the big Club World Cup kick-off.
- READ MORE: How to play the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Fantasy game
- READ MORE: FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Fantasy: What the bookies’ odds say
Top goalscorers, leading assist-makers, a rough predicted XI and our pick of the players worth considering for your FIFA Fantasy Club World Cup teams – you’ll find it all here.
AL-HILAL: OVERVIEW
Saudi Arabia’s only participant, Al-Hilal, qualified as the winners of 2021’s AFC Champions League. Their four successes in this competition surpass all other Asian clubs.
Al-Za’eem went on to meet Group H opponents Real Madrid in 2023’s subsequent Club World Cup final, losing 5-3.
Domestically, they have 19 league titles to their name, including six of the last nine.
Al-Hilal can also boast many familiar names like Aleksandar Mitrovic ($7.5m), Joao Cancelo ($5.5m), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic ($6.2m), Ruben Neves ($6.3m), Renan Lodi ($4.5m), Kalidou Koulibaly ($4.8m) and Malcom ($7.0m).
In fact, after terminating Neymar’s contract in January, they also attempted to add Mohamed Salah, Bruno Fernandes, Victor Osimhen, Cristiano Ronaldo and Theo Hernandez. All approaches failed.
With standards so high, finishing second in 2024/25’s Saudi Pro League cost Jorge Jesus his job but, under him, the team were unbeaten 2023/24 champions. That was by quite a distance, too. They also set an incredible new world record (at the time) by winning 34 consecutive matches in all competitions.
Not that changing boss should hamper Al-Hilal – all four Group H sides have appointed a new one from December onwards. And these could be potential dark horses under Simone Inzaghi, who has come straight from Inter’s run to the UEFA Champions League final.
It remains to be seen whether the Italian uses his favoured 3-5-2 or sticks with the four-man defence played under Jesus.
GROUP FIXTURES
BOOKIES’ PREDICTIONS
| To Qualify | To Win Group | |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Hilal | 44.8% | 9.9% |
| Real Madrid | 91.4% | 76.8% |
| RB Salzburg | 42.0% | 9.0% |
| CF Pachuca | 21.8% | 4.3% |
LEAGUE NUMBERS
GOALS
- Aleksandar Mitrovic ($7.5m, FWD) – 19
- Marcos Leonardo ($4.0m, FWD) – 17
- Salem Al-Dawsari ($5.6m, MID) – 15
ASSISTS
- Salem Al-Dawsari ($5.6m, MID) – 15
- Malcom ($7.0m, FWD) – 10
- Ruben Neves ($6.3m, MID) – 8
SET-PIECE TAKERS
PENALTIES
- Aleksandar Mitrovic ($7.5m, FWD)
- Marcos Leonardo ($4.0m, FWD)
- Salem Al-Dawsari ($5.6m, MID)
- Kaio Cesar ($4.0m, FWD)
A ridiculous five different players have taken penalties for Al-Hilal this season, with Mitrovic responsible for four of them. He’s scored the last three, including his side’s most recent spot-kick in May.
Marcos Leonardo has netted all three of his, while Al-Dawsari and Cesar have also scored once from the spot.
Neves hasn’t been involved since missing from 12 yards in February.
CORNERS + FREE KICKS
- Salem Al-Dawsari ($5.6m, MID)
- Ruben Neves ($6.3m, MID)
- Hamad Al-Yami ($4.0m, DEF)
TOP FANTASY PICKS
ALEKSANDAR MITROVIC ($7.5m) – FWD
Very familiar to Fantasy managers is Serbian forward Mitrovic, who netted on 128 occasions during eight seasons with Fulham and Newcastle United. Since joining Al-Hilal for £46 million, league campaigns have seen him score 28 times (1.08 goals per 90) and then 19 (0.89).
Even more impressive is that the latest number came from a low 21 starts because of hamstring issues. That gave the very cheap Marcos Leonardo ($4.0m) time to shine.
Signed from Benfica last summer, he initially played behind Mitrovic but moved up front to score 14 times in 12 during the latter’s absence.
Are they now competing for the same spot under Inzaghi? We’ll have to find out. But Mitrovic is the more established name, and Leonardo missed the final few league matches with a groin injury.
SALEM AL-DAWSARI ($5.6m) – MID
Not related to teammates Khalifah Al-Dawsari ($4.0m) or Nasser Al-Dawsari ($5.9m), this 33-year-old has been at the club for a while and is their captain.
Like a fine wine, the winger seems to be getting better with age. Last season brought 15 goals and 15 assists in the league, alongside 10 AFC Champions League strikes. Beforehand, 14 goals in the title-winning 2023/24.
Additionally, you may recognise Salem from his memorable winner in Saudi Arabia’s shock 2-1 over Argentina in the 2022 World Cup. At the time of writing, he is Al-Hilal’s most-selected Fantasy asset (6.8%), priced cheaper than the also brilliant Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder has assisted 22 times throughout two seasons, bagging seven for himself in the first year. Milinkovic-Savic’s 2023/24 league output alone saw double figures in both columns. He scored 17 goals in all 2024/25 competitions.
JOAO CANCELO ($5.5m) – DEF
FPL managers still talk about this attacking full-back’s brilliant 2021/22 campaign, which featured 11 assists and 201 points. By early 2023, he’d fallen out with Pep Guardiola and been shifted elsewhere on loan, but last summer saw the Portuguese international permanently depart.
In new surroundings, Cancelo has set up teammates on six league occasions, adding two goals and five assists in just eight AFC Champions League starts. He’s been playing on the right side of defence.
However, pay attention to the 31-year-old’s availability. He missed closing league matches because of a muscle tear, but is reported to be back in training and has travelled with the squad.
Given that most of us won’t be interested in Al-Hilal assets until Matchday 2, it gives him a bit of extra time to prove his fitness ahead of the winnable clashes with Red Bull Salzburg and Pachuca.
If Cancelo doesn’t recover, Renan Lodi ($4.5m) is worth considering. The former Forest man hit double figures for attacking returns from just 24 starts in 2024/25, operating either at left-back or left wing-back.
EARLY PREDICTED XI
Leonardo is working his way back from injury and will enter the conversation in the attacking midfield positions when available, with Mohammed Kanno ($5.5m) potentially demoted and Milenkovic-Savic dropping deeper.
Khalifah Al-Dawsari (£4.0m) could deputise for Cancelo if the latter isn’t fit. Al-Yami is another possible deputy but himself missed the end of the season with a muscle issue.
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