Elias Saad Profile, Stats and Career
German-born Tunisian winger who emerged from Hamburg's amateur football to score against Brazil and earn a World Cup squad place — all within three professional seasons.
By
Muhammad Asad
Published June 2026Elias Saad is a 26-year-old Tunisian left winger on loan at Hannover 96 in Germany's 2. Bundesliga from FC Augsburg. Born in Hamburg to Tunisian parents, he developed through German amateur football before St. Pauli signed him in 2023 and Augsburg brought him to the Bundesliga in 2025. He has 3 international goals in just 6 Tunisia caps — a remarkable efficiency rate that earned him his World Cup squad place. This profile covers his age, late emergence from German football, and his international story.
Saad's career path is one of the more unusual at the 2026 World Cup — from Wilhelmsburg's amateur clubs through Buxtehuder SV, HSV Barmbek-Uhlenhorst, and Eintracht Norderstedt before FC St. Pauli discovered him in 2022. His St. Pauli debut in April 2023 came at age 23, later than most professional players. Augsburg signed him on a four-year deal in June 2025 and immediately loaned him to Hannover 96, where his 3 assists and consistent wing play earned Tunisia's coaching staff attention.
Quick Answer
Elias Saad is a professional left winger born on 27 December 1999 in Hamburg, Germany, to Tunisian parents. He plays for Hannover 96 in the 2. Bundesliga on loan from FC Augsburg. Saad made his Tunisia debut in 2024 and has scored 3 goals in 6 international appearances — including a draw with Brazil in a high-profile November 2025 friendly. His Augsburg contract runs through June 2029.
Early Life and Background
Elias Saad was born on 27 December 1999 in Hamburg — specifically from the Wilhelmsburg district, one of Hamburg's most diverse neighbourhoods with strong Tunisian and Turkish communities. Growing up in Wilhelmsburg gave him a dual cultural identity rooted in Hamburg while maintaining close connections to his Tunisian family heritage.
His football development followed an unusual path through Hamburg's amateur pyramid. He joined Niendorfer TSV in 2010, spending six years there before Buxtehuder SV took him for under-19 football in 2016–17. HSV Barmbek-Uhlenhorst and Eintracht Norderstedt in Hamburg's semi-professional divisions followed across 2019–2022 before FC St. Pauli's scouts identified him.
From Hamburg's amateur football to the Bundesliga
St. Pauli signed Saad in 2022, initially for their reserve team. He made his senior debut on 30 April 2023 against Arminia Bielefeld at age 23 — late by professional standards but reflecting a player who developed through a non-traditional path. His St. Pauli senior appearances contributed to their promotion to the Bundesliga, and FC Augsburg signed him on a four-year deal on 26 June 2025.
Hannover 96's loan from January 2026 placed him in the 2. Bundesliga, where he recorded 3 assists in 12 appearances with a 7.03 FotMob average. Internationally, his 3 goals in 6 caps — including Tunisia's equalising goal in a 1–1 draw with Brazil in November 2025 — made him one of the squad's most efficient attacking options despite limited experience.
Elias Saad Personal Info and Profile
| Full name | Elias Saad |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 27 December 1999 |
| Age | 26 |
| Place of birth | Hamburg, Germany |
| Nationality | Tunisia / Germany |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in / 1.85 m |
| Weight | ~165 lbs / 75 kg |
| Position | Left Winger |
| Preferred foot | Right |
| Current club | Hannover 96 (loan from FC Augsburg) |
| Jersey number | 24 |
| Parent club contract | FC Augsburg, expires June 2029 |
Saad's 6 ft 1 in frame and right-footed left wing profile give him the ability to cut inside from the left flank and shoot with his stronger foot — a modern attacking winger profile that suits Tunisia's counter-attacking approach. His international goal rate (3 in 6 caps) is among the highest in the squad.
Transfer News and Market Value
Saad signed a four-year contract with FC Augsburg on 26 June 2025. He is currently on loan at Hannover 96 through 30 June 2026. His market value is estimated at approximately €2.7 million.
Augsburg's four-year commitment reflects confidence in his long-term development. No decision on post-World Cup club arrangements has been publicly confirmed, but his Augsburg contract through 2029 provides a secure base.
His loan at Hannover generated 3 assists in 12 appearances — a productive contribution that has maintained his form ahead of the World Cup. Whether Augsburg integrate him into their first-team plans for 2026–27 or seek another loan will depend partly on his World Cup performance.
Post-World Cup, Saad's profile as a German-developed Tunisian winger with Bundesliga experience and international goal-scoring efficiency makes him an attractive option for mid-table German clubs or upward-moving teams looking for wide attacking options.
Salary and Net Worth
Saad's salary at Hannover under the loan arrangement is estimated between €10,000 and €20,000 per month, with Augsburg covering a portion under typical loan financial structures.
His Augsburg base contract salary is estimated at €50,000–80,000 per month, reflecting a four-year commitment to a 25-year-old with Bundesliga potential.
His St. Pauli salary (2022–25) would have been at 2. Bundesliga and Bundesliga rates for a squad player — estimated at €20,000–50,000 per month.
Earlier career years in Hamburg's amateur pyramid generated minimal professional income.
Tunisia World Cup distribution supplements his salary during the tournament.
Total career earnings are estimated at approximately $2–4 million USD, reflecting his relatively late professional emergence.
Estimated net worth is approximately $1–2 million USD. His Augsburg contract through 2029 will significantly improve his career earnings total.
Elias Saad Club Career
Saad's professional career effectively began at St. Pauli in 2023 after years in Hamburg's amateur system. His St. Pauli senior debut in April 2023 and subsequent appearances contributed to their promotion push. FC Augsburg's investment in June 2025 — a four-year deal — placed him in the Bundesliga ecosystem.
At Hannover 96 in the 2. Bundesliga (January–June 2026), he made 12 appearances with 3 assists and a 7.03 FotMob average — consistent attacking output from the left wing in Germany's competitive second division. His Tunisia international form has been even more impressive: 3 goals in 6 caps across competitive qualifiers and high-profile friendlies.
His Tunisia debut came in 2024 and he scored his first international goal shortly after. His most celebrated international moment was Tunisia's goal in the 1–1 draw with Brazil in November 2025 — a result that raised his international profile significantly and contributed directly to his World Cup squad selection.
His combination of German football education, late professional emergence, and immediate international goal-scoring efficiency makes him one of the more compelling stories in Tunisia's 2026 squad.
Club Career Stats
| Period | Club | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–2022 | HSV Barmbek-Uhlenhorst / Norderstedt | 50+ | 10 |
| 2022–2025 | FC St. Pauli | 60+ | 12 |
| 2025–2026 | FC Augsburg / Hannover 96 (loan) | 12 | 1 |
International goal record (Tunisia)
| Caps | Goals | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 3 | Goal vs Brazil (1-1 draw, Nov 2025); WC Qualifying goal |
International Career
Elias Saad made his senior Tunisia debut in 2024 and scored 3 goals in 6 international appearances — giving him one of the best goals-per-cap ratios in Tunisia's squad. He scored in the 1–1 friendly draw against Brazil in November 2025, one of the most high-profile Tunisia results of the pre-World Cup period.
His inclusion in the 26-man World Cup squad was earned through that international efficiency — a player who scores at a rate that justifies selection despite limited caps and a relatively short senior club career. Coach Sabri Lamouchi identified him as a threat from the left flank who could be decisive in tight group-stage matches.
At 26 and with his Augsburg contract running to 2029, Saad enters the World Cup at the most professionally secure point of his career. The tournament gives him the platform to convert his international goal-scoring efficiency into sustained recognition at club and international level.
| National team | Caps | Goals | Tournament involvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tunisia | 6 | 3 | WC Qualifying 2026; friendlies 2024–26 (inc. vs Brazil); 2026 FIFA World Cup |
Honours and Trophies
| Trophy | Times Won | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 2. Bundesliga promotion | — | FC St. Pauli 2024 (squad member) |
| Bundesliga participation | — | FC Augsburg 2025–26 (loan) |
Playing Style and Key Strengths
Elias Saad is a right-footed left winger whose game is built on direct running, cutting inside from the left flank, and shooting with his stronger right foot. His 6 ft 1 in frame gives him physical presence that is unusual for a wide attacker — he can hold off defenders when receiving possession and use his height to win aerial duels in wide areas.
His strongest qualities are his directness, his willingness to shoot from distance, and his international goal-scoring instinct — 3 goals in 6 caps is a rate that reflects a player who makes decisive attacking contributions when given the opportunity. His Hamburg amateur football background gave him a resilience and hunger that professional academy players sometimes lack.
From Wilhelmsburg to the World Cup
Elias Saad's journey from Wilhelmsburg's amateur clubs through Hamburg's football pyramid to St. Pauli, Augsburg, and Tunisia's 2026 World Cup squad is one of the tournament's great late-bloomer stories. A professional debut at 23, a Bundesliga contract at 25, and a World Cup squad place at 26 — all compressed into three years of rapid professional progression.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
Elias Saad's career from Wilhelmsburg's amateur clubs to the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Tunisia is one of the more remarkable development stories in the tournament. A late professional debut, a rapid rise through German football's second and first divisions, and an international goal-scoring efficiency that has made him one of Tunisia's most dangerous attacking options.
At 26 with an Augsburg contract through 2029 and 3 goals in 6 Tunisia caps, Saad's World Cup appearance is both the culmination of a late-starting career and the beginning of its most prominent chapter. Whether Tunisia advance from Group D will partly depend on his ability to deliver those decisive moments from the left flank.
