Play-off Pressure: RSL stars with FIFA World Cup hopes on line | OneFootball

The pause in Roshn Saudi League action doesn’t mean our stars will get much respite, especially those involved in qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

That applies particularly to those competing in confederations whose lengthy qualification process concludes this week.

So, here’s who’s involved and what’s at stake, as the pressure pinches to join Saudi Arabia at next summer’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Our resident RSL columnist switches focus from club to country, when he will captain Nigeria in the CAF play-offs in Morocco.

The Super Eagles take on Gabon on Thursday and, should they come through that, they will face either Cameroon or DR Congo in the final five days later (November 18).

Negotiate that, and a place is theirs in the six-team, inter-confederation play-offs staged in Mexico next March. As Troost-Ekong has proven since arriving in the RSL, he has the leadership qualities to guide his team to success.

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Christian Bassogog (Al Okhdood)

Hoping to play his part in the other semi-final on Thursday, the Al Okhdood striker will look to fire Cameroon into a shootout with either Nigeria or Gabon.

Bassogog, now in his second season in the RSL, hasn’t enjoyed the best of starts to the campaign - yet to open his goal account, he has recorded a solitary assist in eight matches as Al Okhdood languish second from bottom.

However, the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations winner has been a mainstay for his national team for the past two years. Can he keep Cameroon’s World Cup dream alive across the coming week?

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Ali Jassim (Al Najmah)

Faced with a slightly more straightforward path to those inter-confederation play-offs early next year, Iraq take on the UAE in a two-legged tie that brings down the curtain on the byzantine AFC qualification.

With influential Al Riyadh star Ibrahim Bayseh injured, Jassim will be the sole RSL representative in the Iraqi set-up. His debut campaign in the Saudi top flight has been productive enough, personally, with two goals in eight matches thus far.

However, the highly rated young forward hasn’t been able to fire new boys Al Najmah to a victory; sitting bottom of the table, they are one of only two teams yet to record a win this season.

Putting that aside, however, Iraq meet the UAE in Abu Dhabi on Thursday before hosting their World Cup rivals in Basra five days later. The winner? Simple: they head to the inter-confederation play-offs.

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Shaquille Pinas (Al Kholood)

The second international from the Ar Rass club heading for a decisive World Cup qualification double-header, Pinas might even captain a Suriname side seeking to make the global finals for the first time in their history.

Signed this summer from Swedish club Hammarby, Pinas has slotted seamlessly into the Al Kholood defence, where he can operate at full-back or as Troost-Ekong’s partner in the centre. He even recently earned special praise from the Nigeria captain for his dedication.

Suriname sit top of Group A in CONCACAF, level on points with Panama, and round off qualification with El Salvador at home on Thursday before taking on Guatemala away on November 18. Guatemala, it must be said, lie only one point back.

Win both matches, and Suriname would most likely book an automatic spot at the FIFA World Cup as group winners. Slip up, and they'll maybe have to content themselves with being one of the two CONCACAF teams to advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.

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Orlando Mosquera (Al Fayha)

The greatest threat to Suriname’s chances are Panama, who sit second in Group A only by dint of scoring one fewer goal. With Guatemala away on Tuesday and then El Salvador at home five days later, the stakes couldn’t be much higher.

Thankfully, then, Panama have one of the RSL’s top goalkeepers to call upon. Mosquera has been a dependable contributor to Al Fayha for the past 15 months, and sits fourth this season for save percentage, at 71.4%.

Only Nawaf Al Aqidi (Al Nassr), Edouard Mendy (Al Ahli) and last term’s Goalkeeper of the Year Koen Casteels (Al Qadsiah) boast a higher mark. Undeniably, that's the sort of form that could send Panama to football's showpiece.

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Romell Quioto / Deiby Flores (Al Najmah)

The Al Najmah pair will shift their club connection to their national team this week, when Honduras aim to secure a direct spot at the FIFA World Cup - or, at least, in the inter-confederation play-offs.

At present, the Central Americans occupy pole position in Group C, two points ahead of second-placed Costa Rica with only two matches remaining. Those, though, take the form of two away tests: Nicaragua on Thursday before what feels set to be a winner-takes-all clash in Costa Rica.

Al Najmah striker Romell Quioto has been firing Honduras' FIFA World Cup bid

While striker Quioto and midfielder Flores haven’t been able to lift Al Najmah in the RSL standings - both players joined the promoted club only this summer - they are regular contributors to Honduras.

Quioto has scored twice in four matches during this round of qualification, including last time out in last month’s hugely important victory at home to Haiti. As ever, Flores manned the midfield just behind his RSL teammate. Can they combine again to get Honduras over the line?