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Saudi Arabia national football team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Saudi Arabia women's national football team.

Saudi Arabia
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)الصقور العربية (as-Suqūr Al-‘Arabiyyah, "Arabian Falcons")
الصقور الخضر (as-Suqūr al-Khoḍur, "The Green Falcons")
الأخضر (al-'Akhḍar, "The Green")
AssociationSaudi Arabian Football Federation
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationWAFF (West Asia)
Head coachHervé Renard
CaptainSalem Al-Dawsari
Most capsMohamed Al-Deayea (173)[1]
Top scorerMajed Abdullah (72)[2]
Home stadiumVarious
FIFA codeKSA
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 59 Decrease 3 (24 October 2024)[3]
Highest21 (July 2004)
Lowest126 (December 2012)
First international
 Lebanon 1–1 Saudi Arabia 
(Beirut, Lebanon; 18 January 1957)
Biggest win
 East Timor 0–10 Saudi Arabia 
(Dili, Timor-Leste; 17 November 2015)
Biggest defeat
 United Arab Republic 13–0 Saudi Arabia 
(Casablanca, Morocco; 3 September 1961)
World Cup
Appearances6 (first in 1994)
Best resultRound of 16 (1994)
Asian Cup
Appearances12 (first in 1984)
Best resultChampions (1984, 1988, 1996)
Arab Cup
Appearances7 (first in 1985)
Best resultChampions (1998, 2002)
Persian Gulf Cup
Appearances24 (first in 1970)
Best resultChampions (1994, 2002, 2003–04)
WAFF Championship
Appearances3 (first in 2012)
Best resultGroup stage (2012, 2014, 2019)
Confederations Cup
Appearances4 (first in 1992)
Best resultRunners-up (1992)
Medal record
Men's football
FIFA Confederations Cup
Silver medal – second place Saudi Arabia 1992 Squad
FIFA Arab Cup
Gold medal – first place Qatar 1998 Squad
Gold medal – first place Kuwait 2002 Squad
Silver medal – second place Syria 1992 Squad
Bronze medal – third place Saudi Arabia 1985 Squad
AFC Asian Cup
Gold medal – first place Singapore 1984 Squad
Gold medal – first place Qatar 1988 Squad
Gold medal – first place UAE 1996 Squad
Silver medal – second place Japan 1992 Squad
Silver medal – second place Lebanon 2000 Squad
Silver medal – second place Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand-Vietnam 2007 Squad
Asian Games
Silver medal – second place Seoul 1986 Squad
Bronze medal – third place New Delhi 1982 Squad
Arab Games
Silver medal – second place Damascus 1976 Squad
Bronze medal – third place Cairo 2007 Squad
Websitesaff.sa

The Saudi Arabia national football team (SAFF) (Arabic: المنتخب السُّعُودِيّ لِكُرَّةُ الْقَدَم) represents Saudi Arabia in men's international football. They are known as Al-Suqour Al-Arabiyyah (Arabian Falcons) and sometimes 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).

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 2022, and one of the few Asian national football teams (the 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.[5] They will also host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.[6]

History

[edit]

Early history (1951–1955)

[edit]

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.[7]

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.[8]

Debuting successes and subsequent declines (1956–2016)

[edit]

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.[9] Since then, they reached the next four consecutive Asian Cup finals, winning two of them (1988 and 1996).[10][11] They have qualified for every AFC Asian Cup since, reaching the final in the 2007 edition.[12]

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.[13] 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 occurred 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.[14]

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.[15] 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.[16] 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)

[edit]

Saudi Arabia secured qualification for the 2018 World Cup, their first in 12 years,[17] ahead of Australia. In the opening match, Saudi Arabia were crushed by hosts Russia 5–0,[18] making this the second largest victory of any host.[19] Saudi Arabia then lost 1–0 to a Luis Suárez goal that put Uruguay as the eventual group winners.[20] Although they were already eliminated,[21] Saudi Arabia managed to salvage some pride by winning their final group stage match against Red Sea neighbours Egypt.[22]

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,[23] 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.[24]

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.[25] The game ended in a scoreless draw.[26]

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.[27] 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.[28][29] 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.[30] 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.[31]

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.[32] 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.[33] 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.[34] 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.[35]

Kits and crests

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saudi Arabia national football team kits.

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).[36] From 2023, the team had a color kit reversal where green is the home kit, and white is their away kit.

Kit suppliers

[edit]
Kit supplier Period
United Kingdom Admiral 1976–1979
West Germany Puma 1980–1984
Saudi Arabia Faisok 1985–1989
Germany Adidas 1990–1993
Saudi Arabia Shammel 1994–2000
Germany Adidas 2001–2003
France Le Coq Sportif 2004–2005
Germany Puma 2006–2010
United States Nike[37] 2011–2022
Germany Adidas[38] 2023–present

Rivalries

[edit]
Main articles: Iran–Saudi Arabia football rivalry and Iraq–Saudi Arabia football rivalry

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.[39][40]

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.[41] 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.[42][43]

Venues

[edit]

Historically, Saudi Arabia played most of their home matches in King Fahd Sports City, 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

[edit]
Main article: Saudi Arabia national football team results (2020–present)

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

[edit]
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

[edit]
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)
21 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup GS Kyrgyzstan  0–2  Saudi Arabia Al Rayyan, Qatar
20:30 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium
Attendance: 39,557
Referee: Jumpei Iida (Japan)
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)
30 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup Round of 16 Saudi Arabia  1–1 (a.e.t.)
(2–4 p)		  South Korea Al Rayyan, Qatar
19:00 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Education City Stadium
Attendance: 42,389
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)
Penalties
21 March 2026 World Cup qualification Saudi Arabia  1–0  Tajikistan Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
22:00 UTC+3
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)		 Stadium: Al-Awwal Park
Attendance: 18,755
Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)
26 March 2026 World Cup qualification Tajikistan  1–1  Saudi Arabia Dushanbe, Tajikistan
20:00 UTC+5
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Stadium: Pamir Stadium
Attendance: 13,300
Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)
6 June 2026 World Cup qualification Pakistan  0–3  Saudi Arabia Islamabad, Pakistan
20:30 UTC+5 Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Stadium: Jinnah Sports Stadium
Attendance: 20,124
Referee: Ammar Mahfoodh (Bahrain)
11 June 2026 World Cup qualification Saudi Arabia  1–2  Jordan Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
21:00 UTC+3
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Stadium: King Saud University Stadium
Attendance: 17,871
Referee: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)
5 September 2026 World Cup qualification R3 Saudi Arabia  1–1  Indonesia Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
21:00 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City
Attendance: 42,385
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)
10 September 2026 World Cup qualification R3 China  1–2  Saudi Arabia Dalian, China
20:00 UTC+8
Report
Stadium: Dalian Suoyuwan Football Stadium
Attendance: 48,628
Referee: Nasrullo Kabirov (Tajikistan)
10 October 2026 World Cup qualification R3 Saudi Arabia  0–2  Japan Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
21:00 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City
Attendance: 65,000
Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)
15 October 2026 World Cup qualification R3 Saudi Arabia  0–0  Bahrain Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
21:00 UTC+3 Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City
Attendance: 35,437
Referee: Salman Falahi (Qatar)

Coaching staff

[edit]
As of 27 October 2024
Position Name Ref.
Head coach France Hervé Renard
Assistant coaches France David Ducci
Saudi Arabia Abdullah Al-Fathi
Saudi Arabia Mohamed Al-Hamad
Saudi Arabia Hassan Al-Najdi
Ivory Coast Yaya Touré [44]
Goalkeeping coach Saudi Arabia Saad Al-Thani
Technical coach Saudi Arabia Osama Hawsawi
Trainer Saudi Arabia Jawad Al-Ghamdi
Saudi Arabia Ayoub Al-Qahtani
Scout Saudi Arabia Thamer Sulaiman
Technical director France Morocco Nasser Larguet [44]

Coaching history

[edit]
No. Coach Nat First match Last match Pld W D L Win %
1 Abdulrahman Fawzi Egypt 18 October 1957 6 September 1961 6 1 1 4 16.67%
2 Ali Chaouach Tunisia 1 December 1967 17 January 1969 2 1 0 1 50.00%
3 George Skinner England 28 March 1970 2 April 1970 3 0 2 1 0.00%
4 Taha Ismail Egypt 16 March 1972 28 March 1972 3 2 1 0 66.67%
5 Abdo Saleh El Wahsh Egypt 6 March 1974 29 March 1974 6 4 1 1 66.67%
6 Ferenc Puskás Hungary 21 November 1975 11 April 1976 16 5 1 10 31.25%
7 Bill McGarry England 5 September 1976 22 April 1977 12 3 2 7 25.00%
8 Ronnie Allen England 15 November 1978 14 December 1978 4 0 3 1 0.00%
9 David Woodfield England 24 March 1979 8 April 1979 6 3 2 1 50.00%
10 Rubens Minelli Brazil 30 January 1980 19 December 1981 22 9 3 10 40.91%
11 Mário Zagallo Brazil 21 March 1982 17 March 1984 17 7 5 5 41.18%
12 Khalil Ibrahim Al-Zayani Saudi Arabia 20 March 1984 5 April 1986 39 19 9 11 48.72%
13 Carlos Castilho Brazil 7 September 1986 5 October 1986 7 4 2 1 57.14%
14 Omar Borrás Uruguay 17 February 1988 18 March 1988 7 2 4 1 28.57%
15 Carlos Alberto Parreira (1) Brazil 21 April 1988 28 October 1989 26 10 9 7 38.46%
16 Paulo Massa Brazil 24 September 1990 1 October 1990 3 2 1 0 66.67%
17 Nelsinho Rosa Brazil 11 September 1992 10 December 1992 14 7 3 4 50.00%
18 Candinho Brazil 9 April 1993 24 October 1993 19 12 5 2 63.16%
19 Mohammed Al-Kharashy (1) Saudi Arabia 28 October 1993 28 October 1993 1 1 0 0 100.00%
20 Leo Beenhakker Netherlands 23 January 1994 9 February 1994 4 1 2 1 25.00%
21 Jorge Solari Argentina 26 March 1994 3 July 1994 12 4 2 6 33.33%
22 Ivo Wortmann Brazil 1 October 1994 13 October 1994 5 3 0 2 60.00%
23 Mohammed Al-Kharashy (2) Saudi Arabia 19 October 1994 8 January 1995 11 6 1 4 54.54%
24 Zé Mário Brazil 8 October 1995 27 October 1996 20 9 5 6 45.00%
25 Nelo Vingada Portugal 6 November 1996 11 October 1997 25 16 6 3 64.00%
26 Otto Pfister (1) Germany 17 October 1997 16 December 1997 8 3 2 3 37.50%
27 Carlos Alberto Parreira (2) Brazil 22 February 1998 18 June 1998 10 2 4 4 20.00%
28 Mohammed Al-Kharashy (3) Saudi Arabia 24 June 1998 24 June 1998 1 0 1 0 0.00%
29 Otto Pfister (2) Germany 11 September 1998 11 November 1998 11 9 2 0 81.81%
30 Milan Máčala Czech Republic 18 June 1999 14 October 2000 26 11 6 9 42.31%
31 Nasser Al-Johar (1) Saudi Arabia 17 October 2000 19 February 2001 13 11 1 1 84.61%
32 Slobodan Santrač Serbia and Montenegro 10 July 2001 24 August 2001 7 3 2 2 42.86%
33 Nasser Al-Johar (2) Saudi Arabia 31 August 2001 11 June 2002 23 13 2 8 56.52%
34 Gerard van der Lem Netherlands 17 December 2002 26 July 2004 26 17 6 3 65.38%
35 Martin Koopman Netherlands 30 December 2002 30 December 2002 1 1 0 0 100.00%
36 Nasser Al-Johar (3) Saudi Arabia 1 September 2004 17 November 2004 5 3 2 0 60.00%
37 Gabriel Calderón Argentina 11 December 2004 8 December 2005 19 8 4 7 42.11%
38 Marcos Paquetá Brazil 18 January 2006 27 January 2007 30 13 7 10 43.33%
39 Hélio dos Anjos Brazil 24 June 2007 7 June 2008 22 15 3 4 68.18%
40 Nasser Al-Johar (4) Saudi Arabia 14 June 2008 11 February 2009 18 10 5 3 55.55%
41 José Peseiro Portugal 22 March 2009 9 January 2011 31 12 12 7 38.71%
42 Nasser Al-Johar (5) Saudi Arabia 13 January 2011 17 January 2011 2 0 0 2 0.00%
43 Rogério Lourenço Brazil 13 July 2011 28 July 2011 4 2 1 1 50.00%
44 Frank Rijkaard Netherlands 2 September 2011 12 January 2013 17 4 6 7 23.53%
45 Khalid Al-Koroni Saudi Arabia 9 December 2012 15 December 2012 3 1 1 1 33.33%
46 Juan Ramón López Caro Spain 6 February 2013 26 November 2014 19 9 4 6 47.37%
47 Cosmin Olăroiu Romania 30 December 2014 18 January 2015 4 1 0 3 25.00%
48 Faisal Al Baden Saudi Arabia 30 March 2015 11 June 2015 2 2 0 0 100.00%
49 Bert van Marwijk Netherlands 3 September 2015 9 November 2017 20 13 4 3 65.00%
50 Edgardo Bauza Argentina 10 November 2017 13 November 2017 2 0 0 2 0.00%
51 Krunoslav Jurčić Croatia 22 December 2017 28 December 2017 3 1 1 1 33.33%
52 Juan Antonio Pizzi Spain
Argentina 		26 February 2018 21 January 2019 22 7 5 10 31.82%
53 Youssef Anbar Saudi Arabia 21 March 2019 25 March 2019 2 1 0 1 50.00%
54 Hervé Renard (1) France 5 September 2019 28 March 2023 45 20 10 15 44.45%
55 Laurent Bonadéi[a] France 1 December 2021 7 December 2021 3 0 1 2 0.00%
56 Saad Al-Shehri[b] Saudi Arabia 6 January 2023 23 August 2023 3 1 0 2 33.33%
57 Roberto Mancini Italy 28 August 2023 24 October 2024 18 7 5 6 38.89%
58 Hervé Renard (2) France 27 October 2024 Present 0 0 0 0 00.00%
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

[edit]

Current squad

[edit]

The following 28 players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification games against  Japan and  Bahrain on 10 and 15 October 2024, respectively.[45]

Caps and goals are correct as of 15 October 2024, after the match against  Bahrain, as recognized by SAFF.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club


1GK Ahmed Al-Kassar (1991-05-08) 8 May 1991 (age 33) 6 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Qadsiah
1GK Raghed Al-Najjar (1996-09-20) 20 September 1996 (age 28) 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
1GK Hamed Al-Shanqiti (2005-04-26) 26 April 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab
2DF Saud Abdulhamid (1999-07-18) 18 July 1999 (age 25) 39 1 Italy Roma
2DF Hassan Al-Tambakti (1999-02-09) 9 February 1999 (age 25) 33 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
2DF Sultan Al-Ghannam (1994-05-06) 6 May 1994 (age 30) 32 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
2DF Ali Lajami (1996-04-24) 24 April 1996 (age 28) 15 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
2DF Hassan Kadesh (1992-09-27) 27 September 1992 (age 32) 11 2 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
2DF Awn Al-Saluli (1998-09-02) 2 September 1998 (age 26) 8 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun
2DF Rayan Hamed (2002-04-13) 13 April 2002 (age 22) 3 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
2DF Meshal Al-Sebyani (2001-04-11) 11 April 2001 (age 23) 2 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ettifaq
2DF Hussain Al-Sibyani (2001-06-24) 24 June 2001 (age 23) 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab
3MF Salem Al-Dawsari (1991-08-19) 19 August 1991 (age 33) 90 23 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
3MF Abdulellah Al-Malki (1994-10-11) 11 October 1994 (age 30) 36 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ettifaq
3MF Abdulrahman Ghareeb (1997-03-31) 31 March 1997 (age 27) 31 3 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
3MF Abdullah Al-Khaibari (1996-08-16) 16 August 1996 (age 28) 25 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
3MF Nasser Al-Dawsari (1998-12-19) 19 December 1998 (age 25) 24 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
3MF Ayman Yahya (2001-05-14) 14 May 2001 (age 23) 13 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
3MF Faisal Al-Ghamdi (2001-08-13) 13 August 2001 (age 23) 10 1 Belgium Beerschot
3MF Musab Al-Juwayr (2003-06-20) 20 June 2003 (age 21) 9 3 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab
3MF Ali Al-Asmari (1997-01-12) 12 January 1997 (age 27) 5 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
3MF Hamed Al-Ghamdi (1999-04-02) 2 April 1999 (age 25) 3 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
3MF Marwan Al-Sahafi (2004-02-17) 17 February 2004 (age 20) 2 0 Belgium Beerschot
4FW Firas Al-Buraikan (2000-05-14) 14 May 2000 (age 24) 45 9 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
4FW Saleh Al-Shehri (1993-11-01) 1 November 1993 (age 31) 36 15 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
4FW Abdullah Radif (2003-01-20) 20 January 2003 (age 21) 17 2 Saudi Arabia Al-Ettifaq
4FW Mohammed Maran (2001-02-15) 15 February 2001 (age 23) 8 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr

Recent call-ups

[edit]

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

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Mohammed Al-Owais (1991-10-10) 10 October 1991 (age 33) 58 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal v.  China, 10 September 2024
GK Nawaf Al-Aqidi (2000-05-10) 10 May 2000 (age 24) 4 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 2023 AFC Asian Cup WD
DF Ali Al-Bulaihi (1989-11-21) 21 November 1989 (age 34) 54 2 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal v.  Indonesia, 5 September 2024
DF Moteb Al-Harbi (2000-02-20) 20 February 2000 (age 24) 7 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal v.  Indonesia, 5 September 2024
DF Yasser Al-Shahrani (1992-05-25) 25 May 1992 (age 32) 78 2 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal v.  Tajikistan, 26 March 2024
DF Mohammed Al-Breik (1992-09-15) 15 September 1992 (age 32) 46 1 Saudi Arabia Neom v.  Jordan, 11 June 2024
DF Mohammed Al-Fatil (1992-01-04) 4 January 1992 (age 32) 15 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr v.  Tajikistan, 26 March 2024
DF Fawaz Al-Sqoor (1996-04-23) 23 April 1996 (age 28) 5 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad v.  Tajikistan, 26 March 2024
DF Waleed Al-Ahmed (1999-05-03) 3 May 1999 (age 25) 2 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun v.  Tajikistan, 21 March 2024 INJ
DF Muath Faqeehi (2002-05-30) 30 May 2002 (age 22) 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad v.  Jordan, 21 November 2023
DF Abdulbasit Hindi (1997-02-02) 2 February 1997 (age 27) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ettifaq v.  Jordan, 21 November 2023
DF Abdulelah Al-Amri (1997-01-15) 15 January 1997 (age 27) 28 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad v.  Jordan, 21 November 2023 INJ
MF Fahad Al-Muwallad (1994-09-14) 14 September 1994 (age 30) 80 17 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab v.  China, 10 September 2023
MF Mukhtar Ali (1997-10-30) 30 October 1997 (age 27) 13 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr v.  China, 10 September 2024
MF Mohamed Kanno (1994-09-22) 22 September 1994 (age 30) 57 3 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal v.  China, 10 September 2024 SUS
MF Abbas Al-Hassan (2004-02-22) 22 February 2004 (age 20) 4 0 Saudi Arabia Neom v.  Indonesia, 5 September 2024
MF Sami Al-Najei (1997-02-07) 7 February 1997 (age 27) 22 2 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr v.  Jordan, 11 June 2024
MF Eid Al-Muwallad (2001-12-14) 14 December 2001 (age 22) 2 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Okhdood 2023 AFC Asian Cup
MF Ali Hazazi (1994-02-18) 18 February 1994 (age 30) 8 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Qadsiah 2023 AFC Asian Cup PRE
MF Khalid Al-Ghannam (2000-11-07) 7 November 2000 (age 23) 3 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 2023 AFC Asian Cup PRE
MF Abdulelah Hawsawi (2001-06-02) 2 June 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad v.  Jordan, 21 November 2023
FW Abdullah Al-Hamdan (1999-09-13) 13 September 1999 (age 25) 30 5 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal v.  China, 10 September 2024
FW Talal Haji (2007-09-16) 16 September 2007 (age 17) 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 2023 AFC Asian Cup
  • COV Player withdrew from the squad due to contracting COVID-19.
  • INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
  • PRE Preliminary squad.
  • RET Retired from the national team.
  • SUS Player is serving a suspension.
  • WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Player records

[edit]
As of 20 November 2018[46]
Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only
Players in bold are still active with Saudi Arabia.

Most appearances

[edit]
Mohamed Al-Deayea is Saudi Arabia's most capped player with 173 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Mohamed Al-Deayea[i] 173 0 1993–2006
2 Mohammed Al-Khilaiwi 163 3 1990–2001
3 Sami Al-Jaber 156 46 1992–2006
4 Abdullah Zubromawi 142 3 1993–2002
5 Osama Hawsawi 138 7 2006–2018
Hussein Abdulghani 138 5 1996–2018
7 Taisir Al-Jassim 134 19 2004–2018
8 Saud Kariri 133 7 2001–2015
9 Mohamed Abd Al-Jawad 121 7 1981–1994
10 Mohammad Al-Shalhoub 118 19 2000–2018
  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.[47][48][49]

Top goalscorers

[edit]
Majed Abdullah is Saudi Arabia's top scorer with 72 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Majed Abdullah 72 116 0.61 1978–1994
2 Sami Al-Jaber 46 156 0.29 1992–2006
3 Yasser Al-Qahtani 42 108 0.39 2002–2013
4 Obeid Al-Dosari 41 94 0.44 1994–2002
5 Talal Al-Meshal 32 60 0.53 1998–2006
6 Mohammad Al-Sahlawi 28 42 0.67 2010–2018
Khaled Al-Muwallid 28 114 0.25 1988–1998
8 Hamzah Idris 26 66 0.39 1992–2000
Fahad Al-Mehallel 26 87 0.3 1992–1999
10 Saeed Al-Owairan 24 75 0.32 1992–1998
Ibrahim Al-Shahrani 24 86 0.28 1997–2005

Competitive record

[edit]
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  

Overview
Event 1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
FIFA Confederations Cup 0 1 0
FIFA Arab Cup 2 1 1
AFC Asian Cup 3 3 0
Arabian Gulf Cup 3 7 8
Asian Games 0 1 1
Arab Games 0 1 1
Total 8 14 11

FIFA World Cup

[edit]
Main article: Saudi Arabia at the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Pos. Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1954 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
1958 to 1974 Did not enter Did not enter
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 4 1 0 3 3 7
Spain 1982 10 4 1 5 9 16
Mexico 1986 2 0 1 1 0 1
Italy 1990 9 4 3 2 11 9
United States 1994 Round of 16 12th 4 2 0 2 5 6 11 6 5 0 28 7
France 1998 Group stage 28th 3 0 1 2 2 7 14 9 3 2 26 7
South Korea Japan 2002 32nd 3 0 0 3 0 12 14 11 2 1 47 8
Germany 2006 28th 3 0 1 2 2 7 12 10 2 0 24 2
South Africa 2010 Did not qualify 16 8 5 3 25 15
Brazil 2014 8 3 3 2 14 7
Russia 2018 Group stage 26th 3 1 0 2 2 7 18 12 3 3 45 14
Qatar 2022 25th 3 1 0 2 3 5 18 13 4 1 34 10
Canada Mexico United States 2026 Qualification in Progress 8 5 2 1 15 5
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 TBD
Saudi Arabia 2034 Qualified as hosts Qualified as hosts
Total Round of 16 6/17 19 4 2 13 14 44 142 84 34 24 277 107

AFC Asian Cup

[edit]
Main article: Saudi Arabia at the 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.
AFC Asian Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Hong Kong 1956 Not an AFC member Not an AFC member
South Korea 1960
Israel 1964
Iran 1968
Thailand 1972
Iran 1976 Withdrew 6 3 1 2 12 5
Kuwait 1980 Withdrew
Singapore 1984 Champions 1st 6 3 3 0 7 3 4 4 0 0 19 0
Qatar 1988 Champions 1st 6 3 3 0 5 1 Automatic qualification as champions
Japan 1992 Runners-up 2nd 5 2 2 1 8 3 Automatic qualification as champions
United Arab Emirates 1996 Champions 1st 6 3 2 1 11 6 4 4 0 0 10 0
Lebanon 2000 Runners-up 2nd 6 3 1 2 11 8 Automatic qualification as champions
China 2004 Group stage 13th 3 0 1 2 3 5 6 6 0 0 31 1
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007 Runners-up 2nd 6 4 1 1 12 6 6 5 0 1 21 4
Qatar 2011 Group stage 15th 3 0 0 3 1 8 Automatic qualification as runners-up
Australia 2015 10th 3 1 0 2 5 5 6 5 1 0 9 3
United Arab Emirates 2019 Round of 16 12th 4 2 0 2 6 3 8 6 2 0 28 4
Qatar 2023 9th 4 2 2 0 5 2 8 6 2 0 22 4
Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualified as hosts 6 4 1 1 12 3
Total 3 Titles 12/19 52 23 15 14 74 50 54 43 7 4 164 24

FIFA Arab Cup

[edit]
FIFA Arab Cup record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
Lebanon 1963 Did not enter
Kuwait 1964
Iraq 1966
Saudi Arabia 1985 Third place 4 2 1 1 7 3
Jordan 1988 Group stage 4 0 2 2 1 4
Syria 1992 Runners-up 4 2 1 1 7 5
Qatar 1998 Champions 4 4 0 0 12 3
Kuwait 2002 Champions 6 5 1 0 11 3
2009 Cancelled
Saudi Arabia 2012 Fourth place 4 1 1 2 6 5
Qatar 2021 Group stage 3 0 1 2 1 3
Total 7/10 29 14 7 8 45 26

West Asian Football Federation Championship

[edit]
WAFF Championship record
Year Round Pld W D L GF GA
Jordan 2000 Did not participate
Syria 2002
Iran 2004
Jordan 2007
Iran 2008
Jordan 2010
Kuwait 2012 Group stage 3 1 1 1 1 1
Qatar 2014 2 0 1 1 1 4
Iraq 2019 3 0 1 2 1 5
United Arab Emirates 2023 Qualified
Total 4/10 8 1 3 4 3 10

Arabian Gulf Cup

[edit]
Arabian Gulf Cup record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
Bahrain 1970 Third place 3rd 3 0 2 1 2 4
Saudi Arabia 1972 Runners-up 2nd 3 2 1 0 10 2
Kuwait 1974 Runners-up 2nd 4 3 0 1 9 6
Qatar 1976 Group stage 5th 6 2 0 4 8 14
Iraq 1979 Third place 3rd 6 3 2 1 14 4
United Arab Emirates 1982 Group stage 4th 5 2 1 2 6 4
Oman 1984 Third place 3rd 6 3 1 2 9 8
Bahrain 1986 Third place 3rd 6 3 0 3 9 9
Saudi Arabia 1988 Third place 3rd 6 2 3 1 5 4
Kuwait 1990 Withdrew
Qatar 1992 Third place 3rd 5 3 0 2 6 4
United Arab Emirates 1994 Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 10 4
Oman 1996 Third place 3rd 5 2 2 1 8 6
Bahrain 1998 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 2 0 5 2
Saudi Arabia 2002 Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 10 3
Kuwait 2003–04 Champions 1st 6 4 2 0 8 2
Qatar 2004 Group stage 5th 3 1 0 2 4 5
United Arab Emirates 2007 Third place 3rd 4 2 1 1 4 3
Oman 2009 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 2 0 10 0
Yemen 2010 Runners-up 2nd 5 2 2 1 6 2
Bahrain 2013 Group stage 5th 3 1 0 2 2 3
Saudi Arabia 2014 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 1 1 9 5
Kuwait 2017–18 Group stage 6th 3 1 1 1 2 3
Qatar 2019 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 0 2 7 5
Iraq 2023 Group stage 6th 3 1 0 2 3 4
Kuwait 2024 - - - - - - - -
Total 3 Titles 24/25 112 57 25 30 166 106

Arab Games

[edit]
Arab Games record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
Egypt 1953 Did not enter
Lebanon 1957 Group stage 3 1 1 1 4 3
Morocco 1961 Fifth place 5 1 0 4 4 38
United Arab Republic 1965 Did not enter
Syria 1976 Runners-up 6 3 1 2 9 4
Morocco 1985 Fourth place 4 3 0 1 6 3
Lebanon 1997 Did not enter
Jordan 1999 First round 2 0 1 1 2 3
Egypt 2007 Third place 4 1 1 2 5 5
Qatar 2011 First round 2 0 1 1 0 2
2023–present See Saudi Arabia national under-23 football team
Total 7/10 26 9 5 12 30 58
*Denotes draws and includes knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Asian Games

[edit]
Asian Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
India 1951 Did not enter
Philippines 1954
Japan 1958
Indonesia 1962
Thailand 1966
Thailand 1970
Iran 1974
Thailand 1978 Group stage 10th 3 0 2 1 3 4
India 1982 Semi-finals Third place 6 3 2 1 7 4
South Korea 1986 Final Runners-up 6 3 2 1 9 6
China 1990 Quarter-finals 5th 3 2 1 0 6 0
Japan 1994 Quarter-finals 5th 5 3 0 2 9 10
Thailand 1998 Did not enter
2002–present See Saudi Arabia national under-23 football team
Total Final 5/13 23 11 7 5 34 24

FIFA Confederations Cup

[edit]
FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Saudi Arabia 1992 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 0 1 4 3
Saudi Arabia 1995 Group stage 5th 2 0 0 2 0 4
Saudi Arabia 1997 7th 3 1 0 2 1 8
Mexico 1999 Fourth place 4th 5 1 1 3 8 16
South Korea Japan 2001 Did not qualify
France 2003
Germany 2005
South Africa 2009
Brazil 2013
Russia 2017
Total Runners-up 4/10 12 3 1 8 13 31

All-time results

[edit]
Main article: Saudi Arabia national football team results

The following table shows Saudi Arabia's all-time international record, correct as of 15 October 2024.

Against Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD
Total 733 344 166 213 1099 771 +328

Honours

[edit]

Major competitions

[edit]

Worldwide

Intercontinental

Continental

Regional

[edit]

Other titles

[edit]

Summary

[edit]
Competition 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Total
FIFA Confederations Cup 0 1 0 1
AFC Asian Cup 3 3 0 6
Asian Games 0 1 1 2
Afro-Asian Cup of Nations 0 2 0 2
Arab Cup 2 1 1 4
Arabian Gulf Cup 3 7 8 18
Arab Games 0 1 1 2
Total 8 16 11 35

Titles

[edit]

AFC Asian Cup

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

Arab Cup

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

Arabian Gulf Cup

[edit]
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

[edit]
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[edit]
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