MENA Sports Wrap: Saudi clubs shine in AFC Champions League thrillers

It's been a standout week for Arab football. Morocco made history as the Atlas Cubs lifted their first-ever U-20 World Cup after defeating Argentina 2-0 in Chile, becoming the first Arab and African team in over a decade to win the title.

Across Asia, Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli, and Al-Ittihad notched key victories in the AFC Champions League Elite, keeping regional momentum high.

Off the pitch, Saudi entertainment chief Turki al-Sheikh announced plans to bring the NFL to the Kingdom, marking the latest step in its growing bid to host major global sporting events.

Morocco's Atlas Cubs roar past Argentina to win U-20 World Cup

Morocco’s U-20 team were crowned world champions on Sunday for the first time in history, after defeating seven-time champions and hot favourites Argentina in a thrilling final in Santiago, Chile.

The Atlas Cubs beat their rivals 2-0, after Yassir Zabiri scored twice in the first half in the 12th and 29th minutes, respectively.

Zabiri, who plays for FC Famalicao in the Portuguese top flight, earned the Man of the Match award following his performance. The young talent finished the tournament with five goals and was the joint top scorer.

Throughout the tournament, Morocco beat the likes of Spain, Brazil, South Korea and the United States, before taking on France in the semifinals and beating them in a nail-biting penalty shootout.

The squad had finished top of their table during the group stage, winning two out of three matches.

This marks the first time Morocco has won a FIFA competition at any age level, becoming the first Arab team to lift the trophy, as well as the first African side to win a U-20 World Cup final since Ghana in 2009.

King Mohammed VI of Morocco congratulated the team on their achievement. He said: "Just as you delighted and brought joy to passionate football fans, you have also filled us with happiness, along with the entire Moroccan people."

To cap off their achievement, Watford forward Othmane Maamma won the Best Player trophy.

Morocco’s win at the U-20 competition comes amid a golden period for the Atlas Lions. The senior team reached the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and is currently ranked 12th globally.

Meanwhile, the women’s side has reached two consecutive WAFCON finals and went as far as the knock-out stage during the World Cup in 2023.

Saudi Arabia hopes to host NFL

The head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, Turki al-Sheikh, has expressed interest in bringing the NFL to the country.

In comments made at the Joy Forum Conference in Riyadh, he pointed out that the NFL had increasingly been hosted in different countries.

"Britain got it; Brazil got it…hopefully Saudi Arabia will be next," he said.

Saudi Arabia has in recent years made a leap in the entertainment and sport sectors, hosting more matches in events as part of the Vision 2030 programme, an attempt by the royal family to diversify the Kingdom’s economy and improve its image on the global stage.

Al-Sheikh has said that Saudi Arabia will also be hosting WrestleMania in 2027, making it the first time the event has been hosted outside of North America.

However, rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, claim that Saudi Arabia is using sports and entertainment to whitewash its poor human rights record.

Mixed fortunes for Arab teams in Asian football championship

Leading Arab teams competed in the AFC Champions League Elite this week, with mixed results amid some challenging fixtures.

Kicking things off were Saudi Pro League teams Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad, who both clinched wins in their games.

Al-Hilal have maximum points in their campaign so far after beating Qatar's Al-Sadd on Tuesday, dominating the game from the start, with a goal each in the first half from Yusuf Akçiçek and Kalidou Koulibaly.

Former Liverpool star Firmino managed to claw one back for Al-Sadd, but Serbian forward Sergej Milinković-Savić clinched a win for the home crowd by making it 3-1 for Al-Hilal.

Franck Kessie also bagged two goals to see Al-Ahli triumph over Qatar's Al-Gharafa 4-0 in Jeddah. Juventus have shown interest in Kessie if he agrees to a pay cut, and the brace in the AFC Champions Elite League will likely be another incentive to bring him to the Serie A.

Al-Ittihad, who have a shaky start to their campaign, clinched a vital 5-1 win against Iraq's Al-Shorta in Baghdad this week.

Although the Jeddah side will be more than happy to pick up their first three points in the group stage, the score hardly reflected the action on the pitch, with the Iraqis having plenty of chances and leading the game for a brief five minutes.

Dubai side Shabab Al Ahli also drummed Uzbek side FC Nasaf, with three first-half goals and 21 shots on target, putting them third in the league.

The next round of AFC Champions Elite League games will take place on 3 November.