Nearly two-and-a-half years before the first 48-team Fifa World Cup kicks off in the United States, Mexico and Canada, Saudi Arabia start their journey to find out if they can make it three appearances in a row at the global finals.
The opening fixture of their Asian qualifying second round at home against Pakistan on Thursday marks the first stage of the two-year adventure, with two matches each against Group G opponents Pakistan, Jordan and Tajikistan taking them through to June 2024.
The top two teams will book their place in the third round, where Asia’s top 18 sides will compete for eight spots at the 2026 finals.
A ninth team also takes part in the inter-confederation play-off which offers a further place. Heading into the first stage, manager Roberto Mancini has been joined by his new assistant and former player at Manchester City, Yaya Toure.