Club World Cup Preview: Al Hilal

In partnership with

Hooligan Soccer

·15 juin 2025

Club World Cup Preview: Al Hilal

The thirty-second and final entry in our continuing series highlighting all thirty-two clubs in the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup, and the last in Group H. The event started on Saturday, June 14th.

Club Background

From: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
How They Qualified: They were the AFC Champions League 2021 winners.
Best CWC Finish: This is their fourth trip. They finished fourth twice (2019, 2021) and were shock runners up in 2022.

Recent Form: They finished 2nd in the Saudi Pro League, eight points behind the winner. They were eliminated in the AFC Champions League semi-finals by the eventual winner Al Ahli. Were eliminated in the King’s Cup quarterfinals by eventual winner Al Ittihad Won the Saudi Super Cup in August 2024, beating Al Nassr.
Facts: Founded in 1957. 69% of the team are Saudi. Have played the fourth highest number of competitive games since August 2024 (54). Made global headlines by signing Neymar for a ~$94M transfer fee, and a two-year deal worth $230M (approx. $2.2M per week). During this time Neymar played a total of 428 minutes over seven games, scoring one goal and contributing three assists. It was widely considered the worst signing of all time.

The Team

Manager: Simone Inzaghi Former manager Jorge Jesus left in early May. Mohammad al-Shalhoub was appointed caretaker and stepped aside for Inzaghi, who had been dismissed by Inter Milan after the Champions League final.
Star Players: Salem Al-Dawsari Saudi winger. 28g/18a. Marcos Leonardo Brazilian forward. 26g/4a. Aleksandar Mitrović Serbian forward. Ex-Fulham. 27g/7a. Rúben Neves Portuguese box-to-box midfielder & creative spark.
Young Players: None worth calling out.
Training Sites: DC United Training Center, Leesburg, Virginia Nashville SC Training Facility, Nashville, Tennessee

When to Watch

3:00pm ET on Jun 18, 2025 vs. Real Madrid @ Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, FL
6:00pm ET on Jun 22, 2025 vs. Red Bull Salzburg @ Audi Field, Washington DC
9:00pm ET on Jun 26, 2025 vs. CF Pachuca @ GEODIS Park, Nashville, TN

The Hooligan Take

This is the kindest group Al Hilal could have pulled. Pachuca are weaker than usual, and Salzburg is completely beatable on any given day. The Saudi club has a real chance to move on. Their attack is quite formidable, and expect them to be on the front foot from the opening whistle trying to nab that first goal..