"I bear full responsibility for it" — those are the words Yasser Al-Misehal chose on Sunday, and he backed them up by resigning as president of the Saudi Arabia football federation after seven years in the role.
The Saudis finished bottom of Group H with two points — draws against Uruguay and Cape Verde, a defeat to Spain — and were eliminated without ever looking like a team capable of going further. Al-Misehal didn't wait to be pushed.
A chaotic build-up that cost them
The preparation alone was a warning sign. Saudi Arabia replaced head coach Hervé Renard with Georgios Donis less than two months before the tournament started. That's not a transition — that's a fire drill. Donis never had the time to implement anything meaningful, and the group stage results reflected exactly that.
What makes the exit sting even more is the backdrop. The Saudi government has spent years pouring money into football — Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and a long list of other marquee names all arrived in the Saudi Pro League as part of a deliberate attempt to raise the standard domestically. The national team was supposed to be the proof that it was working. Instead, they went out in the group stage of a World Cup they're set to host in 2034.
Al-Misehal, for his part, was central to winning those hosting rights — one of the bigger achievements of his tenure. But right now that feels like a very long way away.
What comes next
Saudi Arabia are a country that will host the biggest sporting event on the planet in nine years. Their national team just couldn't get out of a group that included Cape Verde. That gap is the real problem no resignation fixes on its own.
Whoever takes over the federation will inherit a programme with serious infrastructure investment, genuine ambition — and a credibility problem. The 2034 deadline makes this more than a football administration story. It's a pressure clock.
Al-Misehal put it plainly: "Responsibility requires providing the opportunity for a new phase." The new phase starts now, whether Saudi football is ready for it or not.
