Watkins and Toney set for Riyadh showdown in Saudi Pro League on Tuesday
Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney will meet on Tuesday in Riyadh when Al-Hilal face Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, the season’s first major encounter between title hopefuls. The fixture also presents both forwards with a platform to press their claims in the international picture as a new cycle starts for England.
Watkins and Toney were briefly team-mates for England a few weeks ago in Miami, sharing 33 minutes on the pitch as England beat France 6-4 in the World Cup third-place game. Watkins has since moved to Al-Hilal, while Toney signed for Al-Ahli two years ago to play under Matthias Jaissle. Toney’s first Saudi season finished with 23 league goals and an Asian Champions League title; his second produced 32 league goals and a second Asian triumph, although he was pipped to the Golden Boot by Julián Quiñones on the final day.
Al-Ahli remain focused on securing a domestic league title they have won only once in more than 40 years, with Toney a central figure in that bid. Al-Hilal, by contrast, arrive as an established powerhouse with 19 domestic league titles and four Asian championships in their history. Last season’s second-place finish brought criticism of Simone Inzaghi for allowing local rivals Al-Nassr, for whom Cristiano Ronaldo plays, to win the title.
Al-Hilal have started this league campaign strongly, scoring nine goals across their first two games, and Watkins joins a side with creative options including Rúben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Crysencio Summerville, with Gabriel Martinelli a possible contributor. Watkins, 30, moved for a reported fee of just over £50m from Aston Villa, a club described in this context as a second-level Premier League team unable to challenge for the title; Villa, the Europa League winners, have sold players in recent weeks. Daytime temperatures in Riyadh reach the mid-forties, a factor noted for its initial shock to arrivals.
Saudi spending has eased since the summer of 2023, when SPL clubs spent more than £700m on signings such as Karim Benzema (who is poised to leave Al-Hilal), N’Golo Kanté, Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané. Clubs have shifted toward younger, lower-cost recruits offering resale value: Théo Hernandez arrived at Al-Hilal in 2025 for not much more than £20m, a teenage striker, Mohamed Kader Meïté, joined from Rennes for not much more, and an 18-year-old Côte d’Ivoire Under-23 international has already opened his account this season. Toney has scored four goals in three games so far this campaign.
Al-Hilal were among the Big Four taken over by the Public Investment Fund in 2023 but were handed this year to Prince Al Waleed bin Talal, and their transfer activity in this window has outstripped other clubs, increasing expectations on the club and Watkins. Toney, who replaced Watkins at Brentford in 2020, brings the form that helped Al-Ahli win two Asian Champions League titles during his time there.
Tuesday night’s match in Riyadh gives both strikers a high-profile stage to press for England recognition — and German attention — as a new international cycle begins; England’s head coach, Thomas Tuchel, will surely tune in (or even turn up?).
