Meet Talal Haji, the 16-year-old wunderkind set for his Saudi Arabia debut

As Saudi Arabia prepare to get their Fifa World Cup 2026 qualifying campaign up and running against Pakistan, one inclusion in Roberto Mancini’s squad has raised eyebrows across the country .

At just 16 years and 57 days, Al Ittihad forward Talal Haji has become the second-youngest player ever to be called up by the Green Falcons, behind only Ahmed Jamil, who made his debut in 1986 age 16 years and 53 days. The former Al Ittihad player went on to earn 117 caps.

By the time Saudi Arabia inevitably hosts the 2034 World Cup, for which it is the only bidder, Haji will, presumably, at age 27, be at the peak of his powers.

Among the current squad, he is perhaps the first name being nurtured with an eye on representing his nation at a home World Cup for the first time.

The rise of Haji over the past 18 months has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Having been spotted by scouts of his hometown club Al Ittihad, he was signed for the Under-17s side at the age of 14. He would soon establish himself as the main striker for the Saudi Arabia U17 national team, too.

In September 2022, he showed his natural scoring instinct in the Arab U17 Championships, leading Saudi Arabia to the semi-finals in Algeria and finishing the tournament as the top scorer with seven goals.

Nine months later, Haji was leading the line for the young Green Falcons in the AFC U17 Asian Cup in Thailand, where his brace against Tajikistan helped Saudi Arabia advance to the quarter-finals.

Commenting on his performances in Thailand, Saudi Arabia U23 head coach Bandar Al Jaithan described Haji as the new Majid Abdullah, likening him to the nation’s all-time top scorer, who had led them to Asian Cup titles in 1984 and 1988 as well as World Cup qualification in