Saudi Arabia pulled off one of the most historic results in World Cup history in 2022, stunning eventual champion Argentina in its opening game with a smash-and-grab performance for the ages. Sadly, there hasn’t been much else to celebrate on the world stage since 1994, when Saudi Arabia reached the round of 16. In each of the team’s last five World Cup appearances—1998, 2002, 2006, 2018 and 2022—it has been eliminated in the group stage, managing just two wins across 15 games. Back in the tournament for the third straight time this summer, could Saudi Arabia finally be ready to break that dismal streak? The Road to the World Cup Qualification record : 8W-4L-6D Goals for / against:  22 / 13 Top scorer:  Firas Al-Buraikan (5) Assist leader:  Musab Al-Juwayr (3) To answer the question of whether Saudi Arabia can improve on past World Cup struggles, the signs aren’t promising. Its qualifying campaign for 2026 was far more difficult than in 2018 or 2022.…