Why you should watch every team at the 2018 World Cup

Saudi Arabia

For the first time since 2006, Saudi Arabia qualified for the World Cup, and as has become a constant for the Green Falcons, they will bring a heavily domestic squad to Russia. They navigated a weird, weird Asian qualifying cycle that included annihilations of lesser AFC foes (Qatar ravaged Bhutan 15-0, and Saudi Arabia beat Timor-Leste 7-0); forfeits, mainly by Timor-Leste; and game abandonments — FIFA awarded Saudi Arabia a 3-0 win over Malaysia after the game had to be left in the 87th-minute due to Malaysian fans throwing objects on the pitch.

Their squad, chosen by former Chile manager Juan Antonio Pizzi, who won the 2016 Copa America with La Roja, is almost entirely made up of Saudi Premier League players. Top clubs Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal are primary suppliers, providing stalwarts such as 33-year-old midfielder Taisir Al-Jassim, defender Osama Hawsawi, and 37-year-old mid Mohammed Al-Shalhoub.

Only the Spanish La Liga and the American college system provides non-domestic-based players. Yahya Al-Shehri, for example, plays for Leganes, and Fahad Al-Muwallad plys his trade with Levante. 18-year-old October call-up Faris Abdi, of the University of Virginia, will have to work hard to find himself a place on the final roster.

If his Chilean teams are any indication, Pizzi will set his Saudi Arabia side up in a compact, defensive shape, and they should be a popular dark-horse candidate to get through the group stage on the leadership of such an experienced manager. They were placed in a comparatively cupcake group, alongside hosts Russia, Uruguay and Egypt, and while their 4-0 friendly loss to Belgium in March doesn’t provide a ton of hope, they have a shot to prove people wrong.