Saudi, UAE stroll, Kuwait shocked: 5 things learned from start of Asian qualifiers for 2026 World Cup

Saudi, UAE stroll, Kuwait shocked: 5 things learned from start of Asian qualifiers for 2026 World Cup
Saudi Artabia kicked off their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign with a 4-0 win over Pakistan. (X/@SaudiNT)
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Updated 17 November 2023
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Saudi, UAE stroll, Kuwait shocked: 5 things learned from start of Asian qualifiers for 2026 World Cup

Saudi, UAE stroll, Kuwait shocked: 5 things learned from start of Asian qualifiers for 2026 World Cup
  • Iraq thrilled fans with 5-1 win over Indonesia, while Palestine, Lebanon played out 0-0 draw

RIYADH: Asia’s qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup, and also the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, kicked off on Thursday with most of the fancied teams negotiating expected wins and India pulling off the shock result of the round.

The top two from each of the nine groups of four progress to the final stage of World Cup qualification, and here are five things learned from Thursday’s action.

Al-Shehri with a point to prove for Saudi Arabia

Head coach Roberto Mancini said after Saudi Arabia defeated Pakistan 4-0 that the pouring rain in the first half was a good omen. That remains to be seen in what was an expected victory, but it was notable for how dangerous Saleh Al-Shehri looked.

The striker, who was scoring against Argentina in the World Cup just a year ago, has had little playing time for Al-Hilal this season as the team — propelled by Aleksandar Mitrovic’s goals — has soared to the top of the standings in both the domestic and Champions League. The Jeddah-born forward showed his ability to find the net with a fine shot early in the game and his penalty early in the second half sealed the win. He could have had more too and perhaps his lack of playing time had a part in that.

There were eyebrows raised when Mancini did not select Firas Al-Buraikan, who plays and scores more at home, so the Italian will be delighted that Al-Shehri is looking like his main man in attack. He will be happier still if he can do something similar in Jordan on Tuesday, though that will be a tougher task.

Iraq thrill fans on home soil

Iraq thrashed a decent Indonesia team 5-1 to give more than 60,000 fans in the southern city of Basra much to shout about.

The only way it could have been better would have been if the Lions of Mesopotamia were allowed to return to the capital Baghdad to play a competitive match for the first time in over 20 years.

For now, though, those watching enjoyed the show with the teenage Ali Jasim looking very good indeed.

Al-Ittihad fans will remember the Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya playmaker pulling the strings in a recent Asian Champions League loss that resulted in coach Nuno Santo getting his marching orders.

Against Indonesia, the 19-year-old recorded three assists, showing his creative talents, vision, and reading of the game – not to mention a fine technical ability.

Under Spanish coach Jesus Casas, Iraq look to be heading in the right direction and will take control of the group if they can win in Vietnam on Tuesday.

Mabkhout gives UAE winning start

The UAE defeated Nepal 4-0 in Dubai, a result that was never in doubt from when Khalifa Al-Hammadi put the hosts ahead early on.

The only question from that point was how many goals the 1990 World Cup participants would go on and score. Ali Mabkhout got two to take his international tally to 83.

It was not the most fluid of performances but against a team ranked 173 in the world, it did not have to be.

The UAE did enough to ensure that coach Paulo Bento, appointed in July, could make changes in the second half to rest players ahead of a tougher test in Bahrain on Tuesday.

It is so far so good under the Portuguese boss – who took South Korea to the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup – with four wins from four. It will take time to impose his preferred patient build-up play but there will be opportunities to develop and fine-tune the style in a group that should present few problems for his team.

Kuwait suffer huge blow from India

The first Asian Arab team to make the World Cup back in 1982 are going to have their work cut out to make the next stage after a 1-0 home loss against India.

It has been a long time since their glory days, and it also feels like a while since they thrashed the Indians 9-1 in 2010.

That was never going to happen this time, with India having made significant strides while Kuwait seem to be going backwards. At home, they just did not create enough and struggled to break down a disciplined and hard-working Indian side.

Preparations under Portuguese boss Rui Bento had been solid with recent wins over Syria and Bahrain and there was some cause for optimism, but it is becoming the same old story for the team that have not reached the latter stages of qualification since the 2006 campaign.

It is not over yet. Kuwait should be able to beat Afghanistan, who lost 8-1 in Qatar, on Tuesday and hope that India lose to the group leaders. Overall, though, there are going to have to be improvements if there is a chance of progressing.

Oman on track while Palestine and Lebanon draw

After their fine showing in the final round of qualification for the 2022 World Cup, Oman were awarded top-seed status for this group stage.

It means that Branko Ivankovic’s men have an easier path, and they certainly had a comfortable first game, defeating lowly Chinese Taipei 3-0 in Muscat.

It means that the Reds can go to Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday knowing that even a draw is likely to put them four points clear of third place and on course for a smooth passage into the top two spots and beyond.

Lebanon’s 0-0 draw with Palestine was hardly a surprise given how evenly matched the two teams are. Played in Sharjah instead of Beirut and behind closed doors, it was an eerie atmosphere, but the game was as tight as all expected with Palestine looking the more likely to score.

As Australia should top the group, the competition for second is going to be fierce between Lebanon and Palestine and on this evidence, it may well go to the final kick.


Saudi national team train in Jeddah ahead of crucial World Cup qualifiers

Saudi national team train in Jeddah ahead of crucial World Cup qualifiers
Updated 06 October 2024
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Saudi national team train in Jeddah ahead of crucial World Cup qualifiers

Saudi national team train in Jeddah ahead of crucial World Cup qualifiers
  • Green Falcons gear up for matches against Japan, Bahrain

JEDDAH: The Saudi Arabian national football team were put through their paces at a training camp in Jeddah on Sunday in preparation for the upcoming third and fourth rounds of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Green Falcons are gearing up for two key matches, hosting Japan on Oct. 10 and Bahrain five days later. Both fixtures are taking place at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.

Head coach Roberto Mancini has called up 28 players for the games, with the squad featuring notable names such as Salem Al-Dawsari, Firas Al-Buraikan, and Saud Abdulhamid.

Saudi Arabia are in Group C in the third phase of the Asian qualifiers, and face strong competition from Japan, Australia, Bahrain, China and Indonesia as they aim to secure a place at the World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico in two years’ time.


Saudi FM discusses Lebanon with French diplomat

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan receives the French President’s Special Envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan receives the French President’s Special Envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Updated 02 October 2024
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Saudi FM discusses Lebanon with French diplomat

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan receives the French President’s Special Envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian.
  • Officials discussed the current developments in Lebanon and efforts made in this regard

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received the French President’s Special Envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian in Riyadh on Wednesday.

During the reception, the officials discussed the current developments in Lebanon and efforts made in this regard.

The meeting comes as Israel said on Wednesday that it had begun limited ground incursions into Lebanon targeting Hezbollah.


5-star Al-Hilal round off a perfect week for Saudi teams in AFC Champions League

5-star Al-Hilal round off a perfect week for Saudi teams in AFC Champions League
Updated 02 October 2024
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5-star Al-Hilal round off a perfect week for Saudi teams in AFC Champions League

5-star Al-Hilal round off a perfect week for Saudi teams in AFC Champions League
  • The Riyadh club made it 2 wins out of 2 in the competition as they overwhelmed Al-Shorta of Iraq in a 5-0 victory
  • The previous day the Kingdom’s other contenders, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli, also racked up victories on matchday 2

Al-Hilal thrashed Al-Shorta of Iraq 5-0 on Tuesday to make it two wins out of two in the AFC Champions League Elite, and three for three matchday 2 wins for Saudi clubs in Asia’s premier club tournament.

Following victories on Monday for Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli, four-time winners of the competition Al-Hilal never looked to be in any danger in front of their home fans in Riyadh as they delivered a clinical, comprehensive victory without ever really breaking sweat and with each of the goals scored by a different player.

It was a ninth successive win in all competitions for the Saudi Pro League leaders and defending champions, who are once again starting to look very ominous, even at this early stage of the season, not only domestically but in the continental competition.

Their opening goal did not take long to arrive; 11 minutes, in fact. Aleksandar Mitrovic headed the ball across the face of goal for fellow Serbian Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who was coming in at the near post. His shot, from almost point-blank range, was well-saved by Ahmed Basil but Marcos Leonardo, signed from Benfica just a month ago as cover for the injured Neymar, was waiting to bundle the ball into the net from the rebound.

It was the perfect start and things got even better for Al-Hilal just four minutes later. Brazilian left-back Renan Lodi struggled to impress last season after arriving from Marseille in January but has looked much more settled this time around. He clipped a cross toward the near post from just outside a crowded area and Mitrovic was able to get in front of the defense to head home.

What had been a big ask for the Iraqis was starting to look like a mission impossible. Even when they did manage to make it into their opponents’ half, Kalidou Koulibaly or Ali Al-Bulaihi always seemed to be waiting to tidy up and eliminate any threat. Hussein Ali did manage a shot that went wide but that was about the extent of the Iraqis’ chances.

Any lingering hopes Al-Shorta, who held Al-Nassr to a draw two weeks ago, might have had of getting back into the game were extinguished five minutes after the restart. Mitrovic played the ball on the edge of the area and it fell to Salem Al-Dawsari whose first-time, low shot headed smoothly into the bottom corner of the net.

Midway through the second half things almost got worse for the visitors when Leonardo broke into the penalty area and fired home from close range. However, the offside flag was up.

The home fans did not have too long to wait for a fourth goal. In the 73rd minute, Malcom did all the hard work on the right side before slipping the ball through to Portuguese international Joao Cancelo, who advanced to the near post and then pulled a pass across goal, where substitute Nasser Al-Dawsari made no mistake from the closest of range. He could not miss.

Another sub, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, came close to adding a fifth but the goalkeeper took the ball from his feet. Then a Cancelo shot from outside the area went just over the bar.

Right at the end, Al-Hilal did grab their fifth of the night and it was the best of the lot. Mohammed Kanno exchanged passes with Mohammed Al-Qahtani on the edge of the area and then bent the return into the top corner of the goal. It was the perfect end to a perfect evening.

On the evidence so far, with eight goals in two games and only one conceded, Al-Hilal are going to take some stopping.


I don’t care about individual records anymore, Ronaldo says

I don’t care about individual records anymore, Ronaldo says
Updated 02 October 2024
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I don’t care about individual records anymore, Ronaldo says

I don’t care about individual records anymore, Ronaldo says
  • The 39-year-old, who has won the Ballon d’Or award five times, scored in Al-Nassr’s 2-1 win over Al-Rayyan

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo insists he is focused on being the perfect team member at Saudi side Al-Nassr rather than collecting more individual accolades in the twilight of his career.

The 39-year-old, who has won the Ballon d’Or award five times, scored in Al-Nassr’s 2-1 win over Al-Rayyan of Qatar in their AFC Champions League Group B match on Monday.

It was the club’s fourth successive victory in all competitions under new coach Stefano Pioli, who replaced Luis Castro last month.

“It was a strong and difficult match like all the matches in the AFC Champions League, but the most important thing is that we created many chances and defended well to prevent the opponent from creating easy chances,” Ronaldo told a press conference.

“It is not important anymore whether I am the best or not, I no longer care about that. It is good for a player to score goals, but for me it is better for the team to win.

“I am used to breaking records and I no longer look for them. The most important thing for me now is to enjoy and help Al-Nassr and my teammates to win.”

Ronaldo became the top scorer in a single season in the Saudi Pro League last May with 35 goals.

The Portugal captain also scored his 901st career goal in a 2-1 win over Scotland in the Nations League last month.

“My goal against Al-Rayyan was different and important because my father would have been happy with it if he was alive, as today (yesterday) is his birthday,” the former Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United forward added.


Al-Hilal top Saudi Pro League after win over Al-Kholood

Al-Hilal top Saudi Pro League after win over Al-Kholood
Updated 29 September 2024
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Al-Hilal top Saudi Pro League after win over Al-Kholood

Al-Hilal top Saudi Pro League after win over Al-Kholood
  • Reigning champions are the only club with a perfect record after five wins from five matches

RIYADH: Champions Al-Hilal returned to the top of the Saudi Pro League table after beating Al-Kholood 4-2 in Rass on Saturday night.

The visitors surged into a four-goal lead in a devastating 10 -minute period either side of half-time thanks to goals from Khalidou Koulibaly (38), Malcom (43), Ali Al-Bulaihi (45+3) and Renan Lodi (48),

Al-Kholood belatedly rallied to half the deficit with goals from Hammam Al-Hammami (71) and William Troost-Ekong (penalty, 87) which ultimately proved nothing more than consolation efforts.

Al-Hilal now lead the table with 15 points from five matches and are the last team in the Saudi Pro League with a perfect start to the 2024-2025 season.

In the day’s other matches visitors Al-Okhdood beat Al-Fateh 4-2 in Al-Mubarraz, while Al-Orobah managed a narrow 1-0 win over Damac at home.