Saudi Arabia pulled off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history by beating mighty Argentina in Qatar four years ago.
That stunning victory against Lionel Messi and the eventual champion turned out to be just the start of its campaign to disrupt soccer. Perhaps no nation has done more to shake up the world’s most popular sport.
Within weeks Cristiano Ronaldo became the first of slew of superstars to swap swap Europe for the Saudi league with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner declaring: “In Europe my work is done. This is a new challenge.”
Karim Benzema was lured away from Real Madrid. Brazilian icon Neymar also made the move to the oil-rich kingdom. While attempts to land Messi and Kylian Mbappe were unsuccessful, Saudi Arabia did secure its biggest win of all: The right to host the 2034 World Cup.
It was all part of the country's attempt to pivot away from its heavy reliance on oil and explore other revenue-generating sectors. Some critics say it is also an attempt at sportswashing, using sports to rebrand its public image in the face of its human rights record and crackdowns on dissent.
Billions of dollars have been spent to secure world championship boxing, Formula One racing and tennis. The Saudi-backed LIV Golf enticed major winners to defect from the PGA. It recently announced it would be pulling funding from that venture, but its commitment to soccer remains strong. A number of its top teams are owned by the country's sovereign wealth fund.
This year's tournament will be a test of how far the Saudi national team has come against the backdrop of such spectacular spending.
“We cannot promise miracles, but we promise you that we will give our all to achieve our goals,” newly appointed coach Georgios Donis said.
An influx of top overseas talent does not necessarily translate to improved performance of homegrown players on the international stage.
There was the disappointingly early elimination from the Asian Cup in 2024 in the round of 16. Saudi Arabia's most memorable contribution to that tournament — a little over 12 months after the landmark win against Argentina -- was Italian coach Roberto Mancini walking off during his team's losing penalty shootout against South Korea. Months later, Mancini was out of a job.
In came Frenchman Herve Renard, who had led the team in Qatar in 2022, and the team promptly secured qualification for this year's tournament. But in April, less than two months before Saudi Arabia kicks off its World Cup campaign, Renard was replaced by Greek coach Donis.
Donis has coached several teams in the Saudi league and has also worked with a number of the players who will be going to the World Cup. Among them is striker Feras Al Buraikan, a back-to-back Asian Champions League winner with Al-Ahli.
His appointment at such short notice appears to have been based on his specific knowledge and experience of Saudi soccer, with the Saudi Football Federation saying he was “expected to support a seamless transition”.
“The advantage for us is that I have spent many years in Saudi Arabia and I know the culture of the country and the players. Therefore, we want to be very competitive and fight hard,” Donis said when announcing his squad last month.
While star signings from overseas have slowed, with big names also departing — including Neymar — the governing body of Saudi soccer has made moves to develop its own players. In May, Matt Crocker was lured away from his role as U.S. Soccer’s sporting director to head up talent development in Saudi Arabia.
Youth investment has doubled over the past three years to $26.7 million, with an expansion of regional training centers all with a view to the 2034 World Cup on home soil.
Before all that is this year’s tournament and the chance to shock the world again.
“I believe all the players have the ability and passion required to commit to our plan, which will enable us step-by-step to build a strong and united team,” Donis said. “I believe in their abilities, so my priority now is for them to believe in their abilities, to be convinced of the plan, and to know what is required of them."
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Saudi Arabia players pose for a team photo before the international friendly soccer match between Serbia and Saudi Arabia in Backa Topola, Serbia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)
MADRID (AP) — Pope Leo XIV honored Spain's centuries-old tradition of religious devotion on Sunday as a “school of faith” for today, as he presided over a Mass before a million people and a procession highlighting one of the most iconic expressions of Spanish popular piety: flower carpets.
The crowd cheered and shouted “This is the youth of the pope!” as Leo arrived for the Mass at a central Madrid plaza. He looped around the plaza and surrounding streets in his popemobile to a crowd packed several rows deep of people eager to witness the first papal visit in 15 years.
Sunday’s Mass fell on the Catholic Corpus Domini feast day, which often features processions of faithful through towns and cities led by a priest carrying the Eucharist. In Spain as in other predominantly Catholic countries, the processions often feature elaborate floral carpets arranged along the route.
According to Spanish organizers, the 16 flower carpets decorating the half-kilometer (mile) procession route off Plaza Cibeles were prepared by a Spanish florists association from Galicia. Florists used more than 30,000 flowers, most the yellow and white colors of the Holy See flag, for the carpets that feature decorations such as the Holy See keys.
Leo, who arrived in Spain on Saturday at the start of his weeklong visit, has been keen to highlight the long tradition of Catholic devotion here to encourage especially young generations to find their faith.
In his homily Sunday, Leo honored Spain's tradition of the Corpus Domini processions, saying the floral carpets express the “spiritual sentiments of this country” through “altars erected in the streets.”
“This is not an exhibition, a remnant of folklore or a simple display of beauty,” he said. “It is a profession of faith in the presence of the risen Lord, who is alive and continues to walk among us.”
He said the continued observance of such devotional practices points to what Spain can and should be for the world.
“Herein lies the task of Spain today and in the future: to ensure that the religiosity which has shaped and defined this country for centuries is not a museum of the past to be visited, but a school of faith from which to draw even today,” he said.
At a vigil service Saturday night, an estimated 600,000 young Spaniards knelt for several minutes in silent prayer alongside Leo, suggesting that there is indeed interest among young people despite Spain’s heavily secularized society.
“Let me take the opportunity to tell all of you: Don't ever be afraid of thinking about a vocation to the priesthood or religious life, or other services in the church!” Leo told the crowd.
Irati Valda and Javier Hormazal, a young couple, held up a cardboard sign announcing they are going to get married on June 13 and were ushered up close to receive Leo's blessing during the vigil.
“To see so many young people together, it's incredible. Half a million people in silence, this is something you will only live once," Valda said.
For Sunday's Mass and procession, local organizers said 1.2 million people had turned out on a brilliant spring morning at the central plaza and surrounding streets, with more trying to get in.
The tradition of laying flower carpets — and destroying them when the procession tramples them — dates back two centuries and is popular also in Latin America, where elaborate sand designs are also made. The painstaking displays are considered an offering to the Eucharist.
Poland has already had its tradition of Corpus Domini flower carpets recognized by UNESCO, and Spain's Galicia region is trying to have its tradition listed along with other countries as part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage.
Wildly popular religious processions, pilgrimages and feasts continue to be held in most Spanish regions. The most recognizable are Holy Week processions during the final week of Lent where brotherhoods and robed penitents parade ornate statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary through cities, towns and villages alongside marching bands. Such processions draw the faithful as well as droves of non-believers and tourists.
Spanish towns and cities also regularly honor local patron saints with fiestas. Religious pilgrimages to local shrines mix piety with communal festivities and music. In Andalusia, the El Rocío pilgrimage fetches a million people that make a long, dusty journey over the Pentecost weekend on horseback and decorated covered wagons to venerate an icon of the Virgin Mary.
Leo arrived in Spain on Saturday and urged its people to put an end to polarization and work for unity. Later Sunday he is to meet privately with members of his Augustinian religious order and address cultural leaders.
AP visual journalist Helena Alves contributed.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Pope Leo XIV presides over a Mass marking the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi at Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, June 7, 2026, on the second day of his seven-day apostolic visit to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Pope Leo XIV presides over a Mass marking the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi at Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, June 7, 2026, on the second day of his seven-day apostolic visit to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Pope Leo XIV arrives in the popemobile at Plaza de Cibeles for a Holy Mass and Corpus Christi procession in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, June 7, 2026, on the second day of his seven-day apostolic visit to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Pope Leo XIV presides over a Mass marking the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi at Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, June 7, 2026, on the second day of his seven-day apostolic visit to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Pope Leo XIV arrives in the popemobile at Plaza de Lima in Madrid, Saturday, June 6, 2026, for a prayer vigil with young people on the first day of a seven-day apostolic journey to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Pope Leo XIV is welcomed by Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, as he arrives at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Saturday, June 6, 2026, on the first day of his seven-day apostolic journey to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
People wait for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV ahead of a Holy Mass and Corpus Christi procession at Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, June 7, 2026, on the second day of his seven-day apostolic visit to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas)
People wait for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV ahead of a Holy Mass and Corpus Christi procession at Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, June 7, 2026, on the second day of his seven-day apostolic visit to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas)
People wait for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV ahead of a Holy Mass and Corpus Christi procession at Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, June 7, 2026, on the second day of his seven-day apostolic visit to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
