Saudi_Arabia_national_football_team

Saudi Arabia national football team

Saudi Arabia national football team

Men's association football team


The Saudi Arabia national football team (Arabic: المنتخب السُّعُودِيّ لِكُرَّةُ الْقَدَم) represents Saudi Arabia in men's international football. They are known as Al-Suqour Al-Khodhur (The Green Falcons), a reference to their traditional colours of green and white, and represent both FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

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Considered one of Asia's most successful national teams, Saudi Arabia have won the AFC Asian Cup three times (1984, 1988 and 1996), reached a joint record six Asian Cup finals and have qualified for the FIFA World Cup on seven occasions since debuting at the 1994 tournament. Saudi Arabia are the first Asian team to reach the final of a senior FIFA competition at the 1992 King Fahd Cup, which would eventually become the FIFA Confederations Cup. Only Australia and Japan managed to repeat this feat in 1997 and 2001 respectively, though Australia achieved it when they were a member of the OFC.

At the 1994 World Cup, under the leadership of Jorge Solari, Saudi Arabia beat both Belgium and Morocco in the group stage before falling to Sweden in the round of 16. Thus, they became the second Arab team in history to reach the knockout stage of a World Cup after Morocco in 1986 and one of the few Asian national football teams (others being Australia, Japan, South Korea and North Korea) to accomplish such a feat to date. During the 2022 World Cup, Saudi Arabia caused a large upset when they beat eventual champions Argentina 2–1, the first time Argentina lost to an Asian representative in a FIFA World Cup. However, Saudi Arabia then lost the following matches against Poland and Mexico to finish last.

In 2027, Saudi Arabia will host the AFC Asian Cup, the first time that the nation has ever hosted the Asian Cup.[4] They will also host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

History

Early history (1951–1955)

The idea of a Saudi national team first came about in 1951, when a Saudi XI team consisting of players from Al-Wehda and Al-Ahli took part in a friendly game against the Egyptian Ministry of Health on 27 June at the Al-Saban Stadium in Jeddah. The following day, the Egyptians took on a Saudi team made up of players from Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal in Al-Bahri in the same city. On 2 August, His Royal Highness Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal organized a third friendly with the Egyptian team against Saudi Arabia with players from Al-Wehda, and Al-Ahli. By then, the idea of a national select team to represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was already in full flow, and in 1953 the first-ever Saudi team traveled to play friendly matches abroad. The same year, a Saudi team traveled to Damascus to play friendly matches as part of then-Crown Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz's visit to the country in April.[5]

In 1957, the Saudi national team took part in their first international tournament at the 2nd Pan-Arab Games in Beirut, where King Saud was invited to attend the opening ceremony and the inauguration of the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium with Lebanese President Camille Chamoun on 18 October. Abdulmajeed Kayal scored for the Saudis while Levon Altonian netted for the home side.[6]

Debuting successes and subsequent declines (1956–2016)

Though their football federation was established in 1956, the Saudi Arabia national team did not participate in a tournament until they qualified for the AFC Asian Cup in 1984, becoming Asian champions for the first time.[7] Since then, they reached the next four consecutive Asian Cup finals, winning two of them (1988 and 1996).[8][9] They have qualified for every AFC Asian Cup since, reaching the final in the 2007 edition.[10]

Saudi national team, 1984
Saudi Arabia facing China in the 1984 AFC Asian Cup

Saudi Arabia qualified for their first FIFA World Cup in 1994 under the leadership of Argentine manager Jorge Solari and talents like Saeed Al-Owairan and Sami Al-Jaber, reinforced by national veteran Majed Abdullah as team captain. Wins against Belgium and Morocco in the group stage led to a match-up against Sweden in the round of 16, a 3–1 loss.[11] Saudi Arabia qualified for the next three World Cups, but failed to win a match in any of them; in 1998, the team suffered an agonizing group stage elimination for the first time after only a draw was achieved, which occured against South Africa. The team placed last in 2002 without scoring a goal, while conceding 12, including eight against Germany, the most humiliating World Cup performance ever by an Asian team since 1954, and the team did no better in 2006 after winning only a single point against Arab rival Tunisia, and also squandered a 2–1 lead in the last minutes before losing to Ukraine.[12]

After the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, Saudi Arabia suffered even further setbacks. The Saudis failed to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in agonizing playoffs that saw them again squandered their 2–1 lead to a 2–2 draw to neighbor Bahrain.[13] In the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, the Saudis went on to have their worst-ever Asian Cup performance in history, losing all three games in a shocking style to Syria, Jordan and Japan.[14] Later on, Saudi Arabia failed to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, failing in the third round to Australia and Oman. This embarrassing record kept following the Saudis into the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, as the Saudis suffered another group stage exit, this time losing to China and Uzbekistan. They only won against North Korea.

Revival (2017–present)

Saudi Arabia secured qualification for the 2018 World Cup, their first in 12 years,[15] ahead of Australia. In the opening match, Saudi Arabia were crushed by hosts Russia 5–0,[16] making this the second largest victory of any host.[17] Saudi Arabia then lost 1–0 to a Luis Suárez goal that put Uruguay as the eventual group winners.[18] Although they were already eliminated,[19] Saudi Arabia managed to salvage some pride by winning their final group stage match against Red Sea neighbours Egypt.[20]

After the 2018 World Cup, Saudi Arabia participated in the 2019 Asian Cup, held in the United Arab Emirates; the team finished second in the group stage, after falling to Qatar in the final game,[21] leading to a showdown against Japan in the round of 16. The Saudis dominated the whole game, but ultimately lost 1–0 due to poor finishing.[22]

On 15 October 2019, Saudi Arabia played its first-ever game with Palestine in the West Bank; the game marked a change in policy for Saudi Arabia, which has previously played matches against the Palestinian team in third-party countries. The visit was condemned by some Palestinian activists, who considered the game as a start of normalizing the relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, but it was viewed by the Palestinian National Authority as a support for their sovereignty over the West Bank.[23] The game ended in a scoreless draw.[24]

Saudi Arabia against Egypt in the 2018 World Cup

Saudi Arabia qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the first to be held in the Middle East, by topping their qualifying group and were drawn against Argentina, Poland and Mexico.[25] In their opening game, they defeated Argentina 2–1 within the first five minutes of second half with goals from Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari, ending an Argentine unbeaten streak of 36 games dating back to 2019. The Saudi King declared a holiday after the win and Saudi fans celebrated with mocking words against Lionel Messi and the Argentine team.[26][27] They then lost their next match against Poland, 2–0. Piotr Zieliński broke Saudi hearts with a goal in the 39th minute and Robert Lewandowski scored his first World Cup goal; between these two goals also included a devastatingly missed opportunity on the penalty by the hero against Argentina, Salem Al-Dawsari as the Saudis could not capitalise from their domination.[28] This required a win against Mexico to advance to the Round of 16 regardless of the Argentina–Poland result. Fielding three strikers in front, Saudi Arabia however were unable to exert any domination over the energetic Mexican side, conceding two devastating early second half goals by Henry Martín and Luis Chávez, the second being a thunderous midfield free kick; late consolation by Salem Al-Dawsari only salvaged some little pride left as the Saudis fell 2–1 and were eliminated at the bottom of the table to end their most impressive yet bitter World Cup performance since 1994.[29]

Saudi Arabia, under new manager Roberto Mancini, entered the 2023 AFC Asian Cup with a sense of bitter pride from their 2022 FIFA World Cup performance, finding itself in Group F with Oman, Kyrgyzstan and Thailand. The Saudis started their campaign with a 2–1 comeback win over their rivalling neighbour Oman, where Abdulrahman Ghareeb scored from a solo before a late Ali Al-Bulaihi's header sealed the dramatic win.[30] The Saudis completed their group with a 2–0 win over Kyrgyzstan, where the Saudis were dominant from the beginning to the end and had two men advantage but only scored by goalkeeping mistakes.[31] The Saudis rested most of their best players as they held Thailand in a goalless draw to advance on top of the table, putting the Saudis against fellow Asian titan South Korea in the last sixteen.[32] Against South Korea, Abdullah Radif opened the scoring at the first minute of the second half, but failed to hold the score because of a late Cho Gue-sung's header; subsequently, the game reached the penalty shootout, where the Saudis could not hold the nerve and lost 4–2 on penalties and were eliminated.[33]

Kits and crests

Traditionally, Saudi Arabia's home kit is white with a green trim, and the away kit is green with a white trim (the Saudi flag colors).[34] From 2023, the team had a color kit reversal where green is the home kit, and white is their away kit.

Kit suppliers

More information Kit supplier, Period ...

Rivalries

Saudi Arabia's main rivals are mostly from the Persian Gulf, notably Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.

Due to historical reasons, matches against Iran have been frequently followed and seen by Saudis as the most important rival. This stems from the strong hatred between Saudi Arabia and Iran, in particular in recent years due to historical enmities. Saudi Arabia has won 4 matches, drew 6 times, and lost 5 against Iran. It is one of the ten most heated rivalries with political influence.[37][38]

Saudi Arabia's rivalry against Iraq began in the 1970s. Due to the Gulf War, in which Iraq invaded Saudi Arabia's ally Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq eventually became bitter rivals fighting to salvage Arab pride.[39] The two countries since then have been up-and-down in relations, often ranging from lack of cooperation to political confrontation. Iraq almost pulled out of the 21st Arabian Gulf Cup after the country was disallowed to host the competition in a move believed to be motivated by Saudi Arabia.[40][41]

Venues

Historically, Saudi Arabia played most of their home matches in King Fahd International Stadium, located in the capital Riyadh. The stadium was also where some of Saudi Arabia's most important fixtures were played when the country hosted the first three King Fahd Cups (the predecessor of the Confederations Cup). The stadium was also home to some of Saudi Arabia's matches in the World Cup qualifiers.

Saudi Arabia started to diversify the use of venues from outside Riyadh in the 2000s, with the 2002 World Cup qualifying first round being played in Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam and the second round being played entirely in Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium. In the 2006 World Cup qualifying second round against Sri Lanka and the first fixture against Uzbekistan in the third round, Saudi Arabia also played in Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium.[citation needed]

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023

24 March 2023 Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–2  Venezuela Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
22:00 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium
Attendance: 4,960
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
28 March 2023 Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–2  Bolivia Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
22:00 UTC+3 Report Stadium: Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium
Attendance: 7,194
Referee: Ahmed Issa (United Arab Emirates)
8 September 2023 Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–3  Costa Rica Newcastle, England
20:00 UTC+1 Report
Stadium: St James' Park
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: John Brooks (England)
12 September 2023 Friendly Saudi Arabia  0–1  South Korea Newcastle, England
17:30 UTC+1 Report Stadium: St James' Park
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Andrew Madley (England)
13 October 2023 Friendly Saudi Arabia  2–2  Nigeria Portimão, Portugal
17:00 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Estádio Municipal de Portimão
Referee: Luís Godinho (Portugal)
17 October 2023 Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–3  Mali Portimão, Portugal
16:00 UTC+1 Report Stadium: Estádio Municipal de Portimão
Referee: António Nobre (Portugal)
16 November 2026 WC qualification Saudi Arabia  4–0  Pakistan Hofuf, Saudi Arabia
19:30 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Al-Fateh Club Stadium
Attendance: 11,150
Referee: Hanna Hattab (Syria)
21 November 2026 WC qualification Jordan  0–2  Saudi Arabia Amman, Jordan
19:00 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Amman International Stadium
Attendance: 13,845
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

2024

4 January Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–0  Lebanon Al Wakrah, Qatar
16:30 UTC+3 Report Stadium: Al Janoub Stadium
Attendance: 0
9 January Friendly Palestine  0–0  Saudi Arabia Doha, Qatar
18:30 UTC+3 Report
Report (SAFF)
Stadium: Al Janoub Stadium
Attendance: 0
10 January Friendly Saudi Arabia  2–0  Hong Kong Al Wakrah, Qatar
18:30 UTC+3
Stadium: Al Janoub Stadium
16 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup GS Saudi Arabia  2–1  Oman Al Rayyan, Qatar
20:30 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium
Attendance: 41,987
Referee: Shaun Evans (Australia)
25 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup GS Saudi Arabia  0–0  Thailand Al Rayyan, Qatar
18:00 UTC+3 Report Stadium: Education City Stadium
Attendance: 38,773
Referee: Kim Hee-gon (South Korea)

Coaching staff

As of 28 August 2023
More information Position, Name ...

Coaching history

More information No., Coach ...
Notes
  1. The assistant coach, Laurent Bonadéi took charge of the national team temporarily for the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup.
  2. The assistant coach, Saad Al-Shehri took charge of the national team temporarily for the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup. He was once again named interim coach following Hervé Renard's resignation.

Players

Current squad

The following 31 players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification games against  Pakistan and  Jordan on 6 and 11 June 2024.[44]

Caps and goals are correct as of 26 March 2024, after the match against  Tajikistan, as recognized by SAFF.

More information No., Pos. ...

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Saudi Arabia squad within the last 12 months.

More information Pos., Player ...

Player records

As of 20 November 2018[45]
Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only
Players in bold are still active with Saudi Arabia.

Most appearances

Mohamed Al-Deayea is Saudi Arabia's most capped player with 173 appearances.
More information Rank, Player ...
  1. Some sources have Al-Deayea listed with 178 appearances but this includes matches played against Olympic sides, matches that are not considered official for his teammates Sami Al-Jaber or Abdullah Zubromawi.[46][47][48]

Top goalscorers

Majed Abdullah is Saudi Arabia's top scorer with 72 goals.
More information Rank, Player ...

Competitive record

Saudi players warm-up before their match against Ukraine during the 2006 FIFA World Cup (19 June 2006)
Saudi Arabia players before the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening fixture, against hosts Russia in Group A.
*Denotes draws includes knockout matches decided on penalty shootouts. Red border indicates that the tournament was hosted on home soil. Gold, silver, bronze backgrounds indicate 1st, 2nd and 3rd finishes respectively. Bold text indicates best finish in tournament.

  Champion    Runners-up    Third place  

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FIFA World Cup

More information FIFA World Cup, Qualification ...

AFC Asian Cup

The Final of the 1984 AFC Asian Cup, against China. Saudi Arabia won their first AFC Asian Cup in their first entry to the competition.
More information AFC Asian Cup record, AFC Asian Cup qualification record ...

FIFA Arab Cup

More information FIFA Arab Cup record, Year ...

West Asian Football Federation Championship

More information WAFF Championship record, Year ...

Arabian Gulf Cup

More information Arabian Gulf Cup record, Year ...

Arab Games

More information Arab Games record, Year ...
*Denotes draws and includes knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Asian Games

More information Asian Games record, Year ...

FIFA Confederations Cup

More information FIFA Confederations Cup record, Year ...

All-time results

The following table shows Saudi Arabia's all-time international record, correct as of 26 March 2024.

More information Against, Played ...

Honours

International

Continental

Regional

    • Silver Medalists: 1976
    • Bronze Medalists: 2007

Other

Titles

AFC Asian Cup

Preceded by Asian Cup Champions
1984 (First title)
1988 (Second title)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Asian Cup Champions
1996 (Third title)
Succeeded by

FIFA Arab Cup

Preceded by Arab Cup Champions
1998 (First title)
2002 (Second title)
Succeeded by

Arabian Gulf Cup

Preceded by Gulf Cup Champions
1994 (First title)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Gulf Cup Champions
2002 (Second title)
2003–04 (Third title)
Succeeded by

References

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  11. "One-sided World Cup games[4]- Chinadaily.com.cn". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
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  26. "Poland 2-0 Saudi Arabia: Robert Lewandowski bags elusive World Cup goal as Poles down Qatar giantkillers". Eurosport. 26 November 2022. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
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  28. "UNDER THE RADAR BUT BRIMMING WITH OPTIMISM". Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
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  33. "Gulf Cup shifts from Iraq to Saudi Arabia". Arab News. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  34. Heyes, Apollo (25 August 2023). "Mancini builds staff for Saudi national team". Football Italia.
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  37. Mamrud, Roberto. "Sami Abdullah Al-Jaber - Century of International Appearances". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  38. Mamrud, Roberto. "Abdullah Suleiman Al-Zubromawi - Century of International Appearances". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.

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