Al Ittihad are rebuilding from the ground up after a deeply disappointing 2025/26 season that saw them finish fifth in the Saudi Pro League, 31 points behind champions Al Nassr, and exit the AFC Champions League Elite at the quarter-final stage. Sergio Conceicao left by mutual consent in June, and the club responded with an unconventional appointment: 38-year-old German coach Jens Weisner, who arrives with just seven months of senior management experience but carries the credibility of having guided Gamba Osaka to the AFC Champions League title, beating Al Nassr in the final.

The squad is in flux as the new season approaches. French winger Moussa Diaby appears set to leave, with Bayer Leverkusen pushing hard for his signature and German outlet Bild reporting a deal is close. Al Ittihad's management has resisted pressure to sell quickly, but his departure looks likely. To offset that loss, the club has reached a personal terms agreement with Sporting Lisbon's Pedro Goncalves, and reports link them to Almeria midfielder Dion Lopy in a deal worth around 19 million euros, though that transfer has attracted scrutiny from Saudi football circles. Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante remain the squad's headline names.

Before the league kicks off at home to Al Khulood on August 15, Al Ittihad face a critical test. Because of their fifth-place finish, they must come through an AFC Champions League Elite qualification tie against UAE side Al-Jazira on August 11 just to reach the group stage. The stakes are clear: another continental failure would deepen pressure on Weisner before his Saudi Pro League campaign has even begun.