Roberto Mancini and Saudi Arabia begin World Cup 2026 quest with one eye on future

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. The former Ivory Coast captain and Mancini had embarked on multiple journeys to Saudi Pro League stadiums to identify new talent for the Green Falcons’ set-up.

In doing so, Mancini and Toure have kept an eye on the long term, with some of the names, notably the inclusion of 16-year-old forward Talal Haji, an early step towards building the core of the team that is set to compete in the 2034 World Cup on home soil, with Saudi Arabia the sole candidate for the competition’s hosting rights.

Besides Al Ittihad's Haji, the latest squad also features teenagers Abbas Al Hassan, a winger who has impressed for Al Fateh, and Hamed Youssef, the backup goalkeeper at Al Shabab. There is also no shortage of players born after 2000, with the likes of Abdullah Radif (20) at Al Shabab, Al Taawoun's Muath Faqihi (21) and Faisal Al Ghamdi (22) of Al Ittihad out to stake their claim as