Saudi Arabia secured their place in the third round of the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 3-0 victory over Pakistan in Islamabad on Thursday night.
The Saudis took the lead through Al-Ahli forward Firas Al-Buraikan after 26 minutes and he added a second four minutes before the break to all but guarantee the victory most had expected. Musab Al-Juwayr wrapped up the scoring in the 59th minute.
The victory leaves head coach Roberto Mancini’s men top of Group G on 13 points from five games. With one game left in the second round, they cannot be caught by third-place Tajikistan, who later on Thursday were defeated 3-0 by Jordan and are on 5 points. Pakistan are bottom of the group after five defeats.
The Green Falcons will host Jordan in Riyadh on Tuesday in their final group game. Both teams have already qualified for the third round. The visitors are sitting in second place in Group G on 10 points but have a superior goal difference.
The Green Falcons defeated Pakistan 4-0 at home in the group opener last November and then a 2-0 win over Jordan in Amman put them in a comfortable position at the top of the group.
In March, the Saudis defeated Tajikistan 1-0 in Riyadh but the return match in Dushanbe a few days later ended in a 1-1 draw.
