Saudi Arabia opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Uruguay on June 15, a result that marks continued improvement in the national team's performances on the world stage. The progress is increasingly attributed to the influx of global superstars into the Saudi Pro League, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Neymar, and Sadio Mane.
The Saudi Arabia national team has historically struggled at the World Cup. At the 2002 tournament in Japan, they suffered an 8-0 defeat to Germany in their opening match and exited without a point or goal. However, performances have steadily improved since the Saudi Pro League began investing heavily in attracting elite talent. In 2018, Saudi Arabia defeated Egypt 2-1 in Russia, and in 2022 in Qatar, they shocked the world by beating Argentina in their opening game, with Salem al Dawsari scoring the pivotal goal in those tournaments.
With the exception of defender Saud Abdulhamid, who plays for Lens in France, the starting XI against Uruguay all play club football in the Saudi Pro League. The squad blends youth and experience, with captain Al Dawsari, 34, appearing in his third World Cup. Young playmaker Musab al Juwayr, 22, is tipped to be a mainstay for years. Abdulelah al Amri and Abdullah al Khaibari, both teammates of Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, featured prominently.
Ronaldo said after joining Saudi Arabia in 2023: "The Saudi league is better than MLS." He has recently scored his 100th goal in the Saudi Pro League. Benzema noted: "We have to teach the young players here what it takes so they can move to other clubs." Saudi Arabia's continued progress, underpinned by Pro League recruitment, shifts market assessments of their competitive standing and could affect betting odds for remaining group matches and knockout stage progression.
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