Club World Cup Scouting Report: Al Hilal have spent lavishly in recent years, but will it be enough in Real Madrid-headlined group?

Al Hilal have plenty of stars, but will their overall roster composition be able to handle the group challenges?

The Saudi Pro League and its teams have spent more than a billion dollars to bring respectability and eyeballs to the Middle Eastern competition. If there was ever a moment to capitalize on it, it's this summer's Club World Cup, and the league's representative in the new format: Al Hilal.

No, it's not Cristiano Ronaldo's team, that's Al Nassr, but there are some notable players on this squad - especially for fans of the Premier League and Serie A. The team, which sits second in the SPL, is led by the explosive pair former Fulham frontman Aleksandar Mitrovic and rising young Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo - who have combined for 29 goals so far this season.

Former Wolves star Ruben Neves is the playmaker and he's got accompanying midfield steel in former Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who is also the team's third-leading scorer with nine goals. Let's not forget Pep Guardiola Manchester City castoff Joao Cancelo is here too. (We won't bring up Neymar's ill-fated spell here).

This is a roster brimming with foreign talent and has a legendary Portuguese manager in Jorge Jesus. While Real Madrid are Group H's clear favorites, in theory, Al Hilal should be second in a group that also features Pachuca and RB Salzburg, right?

It's not that simple. Questions remain about the overall balance of the squad, especially with its largely unproven (outside of Asia and the Middle East) homegrown talent. That's the beauty of the Club World Cup - answers will come in live fixtures. Al Hilal could be one of the tournament's biggest surprises, or one of its most expensive failures.

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be played in 12 stadiums in 11 U.S. cities, from the opener on June 14 until the final on July 13. In the U.S., fans can stream or watch matches on DAZN or TNT.

Leading up to kickoff, GOAL will provide scouting reports on each of the 32 participating teams in the expanded field. Next up is Al Hilal, with a look at key players to watch, and expectations for the Saudi club ahead of this summer's tournament.

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The Basics
DOMESTIC LEAGUE: Saudi Pro League
CLUB WORLD CUP HISTORY: 2019, 2022, and 2023 - Al Hilal lost the 2023 final to Madrid 5-3
GROUP: H (Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, FC Salzburg)
OPENING MATCH: Real Madrid - June 18, 3 p.m., Miami

AFP
How they got here
Al Hilal qualified off of their 2021 Asian Champions League win over Pohang Steelers. The is Saudi Arabia's most successful club, with 19 titles including last year, and is one of four Asian Confederation clubs involved in this year's CWC.
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The player to watch
The temptation is to go with Mitrovic, who has been prolific in Saudi Arabia, but let's go with his fellow Serbian in Milinkovic-Savic. A towering midfielder at 6-4, the former Lazio star was one of the most underrated talents in European football. He never quite got the big move many expected considering his size, midfield motor, and ability to score.
It was reported Lazio turned down over £85 million for the midfielder from Serie A rivals AC Milan and Manchester United. Instead of holding out for a move to one of Europe's other giants, he opted for a big payday in the Middle East. He reportedly makes $500,000 a week at his current club.
Milinkovic-Savic is a top-class box-to-box midfielder, who can use his size to impact both ends of the pitch. He'll remind fans in the U.S. of a slower version of Yaya Toure and similar to the Ivorian, he can provide late runs in the box and finish chances.
He's scored 85 goals in 356 league appearances across Serbia, Italy, and Saudi Arabia, meaning he's someone teams have to account for. Outside of Real Madrid, do Salzburg or Pachuca have the size and quality to mark a player like him? If Al Hilal are to advance, they'll need the best of Milinkovic-Savic.

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Realistic expectations
Al Hilal aren't getting much buzz in the U.S. just yet, but they could very easily be the second-best team in the group after Real Madrid. Although they have a tough opener, facing Los Blancos in a rematch of the 2023 CWC Final, their previous experiences in the tournament should bode well. If they don't get embarrassed in their first match they will have winnable games against Pachuca and Salzburg.
The only concern with this squad is its league. The Saudi Pro League is ranked lower than MLS in competitiveness and Al-Hilal are going up against teams who might be less talented in their Austrian and Mexican counterparts - but play in more difficult leagues and are more battle-tested.
Still, the team is currently defending its SPL title and making a good run in the ACL. They could make some noise this summer.

The Basics

How they got here

The player to watch

Realistic expectations