As Saudi Arabia continues to invest in the long-term development of its football ecosystem, the relationship between league quality and domestic talent development has become a key focus. The Saudi Pro League’s (SPL) recent growth, combined with the country’s ambition to build a more competitive environment and prepare for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, makes it a highly relevant case study for how aspiring leagues can strengthen their international standing while at the same time also nurturing the next generation of local players.
With Football Benchmark serving as Football Intelligence Partner of World Football Summit, and our Founder & CEO, Andrea Sartori, speaking at next week’s WFS Riyadh on the same topic explored in this article, we examine how international experience can be integrated effectively into a domestic system and assess the current positioning of both the Saudi National Team and the SPL in this context.
A major feature of the Saudi football landscape in recent seasons has been the increasing presence of international players and coaches. Their arrival has raised competition levels and brought technical and tactical expertise that was previously less accessible within the domestic environment. At the same time, this enhanced level of competition naturally impacts the opportunities available to emerging Saudi players.
This article explores how these dynamics interact and what the Saudi case reveals about balancing league development with sustainable domestic talent pathways.
A national team in need of a talent boost
The Saudi National Team secured qualification for a third consecutive FIFA World Cup less than two months ago, a milestone only previously achieved once in the country’s history. While this represents clear progress, the road to 2026 was far from straightforward, with Saudi Arabia missing out on the first six qualification places, requiring an additional round of matches to finally book their spot. Recent performance and squad composition trends highlight several areas that will need to be addressed as the country plans its pathway to 2034.
Among the eight AFC teams already qualified for 2026, Saudi Arabia has the second-lowest FIFA World Ranking spot, ahead only of Jordan. The gap to the region’s leading teams (Japan, Iran, Korea Republic, and Australia) from this regard remains sizeable and has widened over the past four years. Strengthening on-pitch competitiveness will therefore be essential if long-term objectives are to be met.
Squad demographics also highlight areas for attention. Although Saudi fielded the second-youngest squad in June 2025 (the most recent qualifying round when all clubs in our sample last played competitive matches at the same time), its average age of 27.0 is still more than two years older than Japan's. More importantly, only four Under-23 players featured. Players over this age are less likely to form the core of the 2034 World Cup group, underscoring the need to accelerate opportunities for younger profiles.
Exposure to senior football remains limited for this cohort. Over the past year (analysis timeframe: October 2024 - October 2025), the four U23 players accumulated only 1,773 competitive club minutes on average - an equivalent of fewer than 20 full matches. While the immediate priority was securing qualification for 2026, the focus should soon shift toward broadening and strengthening the pipeline of young players if the long-term vision is to be realised.
The Saudi Pro League’s dual position
Recent structural developments in Saudi football, including the establishment of Mahd Academy, the launch of an elite U21 league, and the reduction of the minimum professional age from 18 to 16, reflect a clear national commitment to accelerating the development of local talent. At the same time, the SPL has entered a distinct phase of internationalisation, seeking to raise its competitive standard and strengthen its global profile.
Balancing these two objectives presents a strategic challenge. Since the significant wave of international signings beginning in the 2023/24 season, the league has experienced a shift in the distribution of playing time, with local presence on the pitch becoming proportionally lower. At the same time, squad values are driven by international players.
There are potential synergies between expanding international quality and nurturing domestic pathways in parallel. Higher-calibre competition allows Saudi players to adapt to international standards without leaving the country; exposure to elite players creates natural learning opportunities on and off the pitch; and the league’s growing regional and global visibility increases the likelihood that domestic talent is identified and scouted.
However, the dual-objective model also introduces inherent challenges. Increased competition for places can limit opportunities for emerging Saudi players. The arrival of star profiles has contributed to upward pressure on salary structures, making it less attractive for some players to seek experience abroad. In addition, as expectations for results increase, clubs may show less tolerance for giving younger players significant minutes.
Playing time remains critical at a young age. Over the past year, 41.7% of SPL minutes were played by Saudi players, while Saudi U23 players accounted for 7.3%. This compares favourably with leagues such as Serie A and the Premier League, yet still leaves room for growth if the SPL is to be seen as a league with a strong developmental orientation.
Coaching expertise represents another important influence. Seventeen of the SPL’s 18 clubs are currently led by international coaches, providing opportunities for local players and staff to learn from those with high level international experience. A recent example is Simone Inzaghi, who joined Al Hilal just one year after leading FC Internazionale to a UEFA Champions League final.
As the SPL continues to refine the balance between international profiles and local development, the challenge will not only be to provide adequate playing opportunities but to ensure that external expertise is absorbed into the domestic system, creating a lasting foundation for the next generation of Saudi talent.
The role of clubs in unlocking the next generation
While the league often attracts the most attention, the foundations of talent development are built at club level. The extent to which clubs prioritise and integrate youth into their sporting strategies plays a decisive role in shaping the national team’s long-term trajectory. Engaging clubs earlier and more consistently in the development pathway can therefore generate benefits across the entire ecosystem.
Current data shows that approaches to domestic U23 minutes are relatively consistent across the SPL, with overall exposure remaining limited. Only three clubs in the league provide more than 10% of total minutes to Saudi U23 players. Al Hilal (2%) and Al Nassr (3%) sit at the lower end of the distribution, where opportunities for younger domestic players are particularly scarce. These figures indicate that the future core of the Saudi National Team has had relatively few opportunities to gain sustained senior experience until this point.
This pattern contrasts with the broader distribution of domestic minutes. Across the clubs analysed, domestic players generally account for between 40% and 50% of total minutes, suggesting that local presence itself is not the primary barrier, rather, it is the age profile of those minutes. One potential strategic consideration to improve youth exposure is the gradual reallocation of domestic playing time toward U23 profiles over time.
Leading up to 2034, strengthening this link at club level could be essential for the broader ambitions of Saudi football, both in terms of league competitiveness and national performance.
Aligning competition progress with sustainable talent pathways
Balancing rising league standards with the development of domestic talent is a long-term challenge for any growing football ecosystem. The increased presence of international players and coaches in Saudi Arabia has raised the competitive level of the SPL, but the lasting impact will depend on how effectively this expertise is translated into local capability and embedded within club structures.
Achieving this requires coordinated commitment across the system, from providing young Saudi players with greater access to meaningful minutes, to ensuring that external knowledge is internalised and supports the long-term ambitions of both the league and the national team. Strengthening these pathways will be essential as Saudi Arabia builds toward its 2034 objectives.
Existing squad rules already shape parts of the development pathway through measures such as a 25-man first-team squad limit with an additional list for youth players, a maximum of ten foreign players of which two must be U21, and a cap of eight foreign players in the matchday squad. Over time, additional regulatory mechanisms, especially promoting domestic youth opportunities, could be considered to encourage or incentivise greater youth participation, helping to ensure that the rise in league quality translates into a deeper pool of domestic players with sustained senior experience.
These themes will be examined in greater depth during a dedicated panel at next week’s WFS Riyadh, where Football Benchmark will contribute to the discussion on how international experience can accelerate the development of domestic talent.
