MENA Sports Wrap: Ronaldo stays in Saudi, Al-Hilal find success at Club World Cup

Al-Hilal secured their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup, thanks to a 2-1 win in their final group stage game against Mexican side Pachuca, but will be put to the test in their next match after drawing Manchester City.

Al-Nassr's ongoing hunt for silverware has claimed another managerial casualty, with Stefano Pioli parting ways with the Riyadh-based club after just one season. The departure comes as the Saudi Pro League enters a critical summer transfer window, with clubs already making high-profile moves and Cristiano Ronaldo confirming his contract extension.

One Arab team survives Club World Cup group stages

Only one Arab team advanced to the knock-out stage of the Club World Cup, with Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal securing their place in the last 16 with a last-round win.

Teams from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Morocco, and Tunisia all hoped to use the FIFA event to boost the global image of Arab football and compete against legends in the game, including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and PSG in a competitive setting.

All the Arab sides bar one crashed out of the tournament however, with Cairo side Al-Ahly coming bottom in their group, despite securing a point in the last game of their campaign with a stunning 4-4 draw against Porto, with Palestinian striker Wessam Abou Ali bagging a hat-trick.

Esperance Tunis's hopes were dashed in the final group game against Chelsea, where a 3-0 loss saw them finish third in their group.

Both on zero points, Morocco's Wydad Casablanca and the UAE's Al-Ain were locked in a face-off in game three of the campaign to decide who would finish bottom of their group.

It was Wydad Casablanca that took the wooden spoon, after the UAE side won the game 2-1.

Star-studded Al-Hilal kept their hopes alive after securing a 2-0 win over bottom-placed Pachuca from Mexico.

They face a tough draw against Manchester City in the last 16 of the tournament, which will be played on Tuesday.

Al-Nassr part ways with another manager in hunt for Saudi Pro League success

Al-Nassr have lost another manager in their search for Saudi Pro League success, with Stefano Pioli and the Riyadh team parting ways on Wednesday. 

Pioli is the second Al-Nassr coach in less than a year, following the sacking of Luis Castro last September, with hopes at the time that his Italian replacement would end Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal's recent domination of the Saudi Pro League.

Al-Nassr confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that the two parties had parted ways.

"Al Nassr Club Company informs that Mr Pioli and his Staff are no more the acting coaching staff of the first team," the club said.

"We would like to thank Mr Pioli and his staff for their dedicated work during the past season."

Al-Nassr only managed to finish in third place last season and failed to win any silverware.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 30 goals for Al-Nassr in all tournaments last season, honoured Pioli with a short and simple tweet: "Grazie per tutto" ("thanks for everything").

The Portuguese star has now outlasted four coaches at Al-Nassr and has failed to lift any trophies, except for the non-FIFA organised Arab Club Champions Cup, during his time in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Nassr is likely to replace Pioli with Sergio Conceicao, Ronaldo's former Portuguese teammate, who was sacked as AC Milan manager in May and is now available for a swift move to Riyadh.

Pioli, meanwhile, is lined up to manage Serie A team Fiorentina in his native Italy.

Saudi Pro League gears up for big summer transfer window

Cristiano Ronaldo has officially signed a contract extension with Al Nassr, putting to rest speculation over his future and reinforcing the Saudi Pro League’s continued ambition to retain global stars. The deal was confirmed just weeks before the 2025–26 summer transfer window officially opens on 18 July, with clubs already active in the market.

Ronaldo's extension comes amid a reshuffle at Al Nassr, with head coach Stefano Pioli set to depart for Fiorentina. The club has already brought in Abdulmalik Al-Jaber from Zeljeznicar for €1.8 million and transferred Ali Lajami to rivals Al Hilal for €941,000.

Al Hilal, meanwhile, are leading the early summer action. After appointing former Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi, they are preparing to sign French left-back Theo Hernandez from AC Milan in a €25 million deal plus bonuses and have made a significant offer for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen. The club has also secured Ali Lajami and Abdulkarim Darisi, adding further depth ahead of what looks to be a major recruitment drive.

Al-Qadsiah are also spending aggressively, landing Internacional winger Gabriel Carvalho for €15.6 million and Mohamed Al-Thani from Al-Hazem for €2.53 million. In contrast, Al Ahli have focused on sales, offloading Gabri Veiga to Porto for €15 million and allowing Ezgjan Alioski and others to leave on free transfers.

Other clubs such as Al-Ettifaq, Al-Fateh, and Al-Shabab have yet to announce any major signings but have released several players. Notable departures include Berat Ozdemir to Basaksehir and Nicolae Stanciu from Damac FC to Genoa.

The Saudi Pro League summer window runs until 2 September, with more high-profile moves expected in the weeks ahead.