A lavish spending spree brought star players and attention to Saudi Arabia, but it has not reaped rewards for the national team who arrive at the World Cup desperate to reverse a run of poor results.
The oil-rich kingdom pumped around $2 billion in three years into football, signing Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema on huge fees as it sought to turn the Saudi Pro League into one of the world’s best.
Saudi Arabia also won hosting rights for the 2034 World Cup, a major boost for its plan to diversify its economy by attracting tourists and business.
But the Saudi national team have endured a bumpy ride since they stunned eventual winners Argentina in the group stages at the last World Cup in 2022.
The Saudis scraped into the 48-team event — the biggest World Cup in history — via the play-offs, winning a three-team group involving Indonesia and Iraq on goals scored.
A 4-0 thrashing by Egypt and defeat to Serbia in March spelled doom for French coach Herve Renard, ending his second spell after replacing ex-Italy boss Roberto Mancini.
Greece’s Georgios Donis, brought in just two months before the World Cup, said the influx of star names from Europe had limited the playing time of local players.
“The Saudi players are learning a lot from very good, experienced players, especially from Europe, that is very positive,” he told AFP at last month’s Asian Cup draw.
“On the other hand, Saudi players don’t have the same chance (to play) like before.”
“We need the players to play, we need the players to have better rhythm and tempo, it’s very important in football,” Donis said.