Saudi Arabia national football team

Saudi Arabia
Nickname(s)الأخضر (al-‘Akhḍar, "The Green Men")
الصقور الخضر (aṣ-Ṣuqūr al-‘Akhḍar, "Green Falcons")
الصقور العربية (aṣ-Ṣuqūr Al-ʿArabiyyah, "Arabian Falcons")
AssociationSaudi Arabian Football Federation
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationWAFF (West Asia)
Head coachHervé Renard
CaptainSalman Al-Faraj
Most capsMohamed Al-Deayea (178)[1]
Top scorerMajed Abdullah (72)[2]
Home stadiumVarious
FIFA codeKSA
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 51 2 (6 October 2022)[3]
Highest21 (July 2004)
Lowest126 (December 2012)
First international
 Lebanon 1–1 Saudi Arabia 
(Beirut, Lebanon; 18 January 1957)
Biggest win
 Timor-Leste 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
Appearances10 (first in 1984)
Best resultChampions (1984, 1988, 1996)
Arab Cup
Appearances7 (first in 1985)
Best resultChampions (1998, 2002)
Arabian Gulf Cup
Appearances24 (first in 1970)
Best resultChampions (1994, 2002, 2003)
WAFF Championship
Appearances3 (first in 2012)
Best resultGroup stage (3 times)
FIFA Confederations Cup
Appearances4 (first in 1992)
Best resultRunners-up (1992)
Medal record
Men's football
FIFA Confederations Cup
Saudi Arabia 1992Team
FIFA Arab Cup
Qatar 1998Team
Kuwait 2002Team
Syria 1992Team
Saudi Arabia 1985Team
AFC Asian Cup
Singapore 1984Team
Qatar 1988Team
UAE 1996Team
Japan 1992Team
Lebanon 2000Team
Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand-Vietnam 2007Team
Asian Games
Seoul 1986Team
New Delhi 1982Team
Pan Arab Games
Damascus 1976Team
CairoTeam

The Saudi Arabia national football team (Arabic: المنتخب العربي السعودي لكرة القدم) represent Saudi Arabia in men's international football. They are known as Al-Suqour Al-Akhdhar (The Green Falcons) in 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 six 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 round of 16 of a World Cup after Morocco at the 1986 FIFA World Cup 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.

History

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.[4]

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.[5]

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

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. Saudi Arabia qualified for the next three World Cups, but failed to win a match in any of them; the team placed last in 2002 without scoring a goal, while conceding 12, including eight against Germany.

Saudi Arabia secured qualification for the 2018 World Cup, their first in 12 years,[6] ahead of Australia. Hosts Russia annihilated the Arabs in the opening match 5–0,[7] making this the second largest victory of any host nation at the FIFA World Cup.[8] Saudi Arabia then lost 1–0 to a Luis Suarez-led Uruguay, the eventual group winners.[9] Although they were already eliminated,[10] they managed to salvage some pride by winning their final group stage match against Red Sea neighbours Egypt.[11]

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,[12] 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.[13]

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.[14] The game ended in a scoreless draw.[15]

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.[16]

Kits and crests
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saudi Arabia national football team kits.

Traditionally, the Saudi Arabia national football team's home kit is all-white and the away kit is all-green (flag colors).[17]

Kit suppliers
Kit supplier Period
Admiral 1976–1979
Puma 1980–1984
Ágata 1984
Faisok 1985–1989
Adidas 1990–1993
Shammel 1994–2000
Adidas 2001–2003
Le Coq Sportif 2004
Adidas 2004-2005
Puma 2006–2010
Nike 2011–present

Rivalries

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 recent years due to religious sectarianism and historical enmities. Saudi Arabia is trailing behind the series, but only one game defeat, with 4 wins, 6 draws and 5 losses. It's one of 10 most heated rivalries with political influence.[18][19]

Saudi Arabia's other heated rival is Iraq. However, the rivalry only began in 1970s. Due to the Gulf War, which Iraq invaded Saudi Arabia's ally Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq eventually become bitter rival fighting to salvage Arab pride.[20] The two countries since then have an up-and-down in relations, often ranged from lack of cooperation and 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.[21]

Saudi Arabia's other rivals are mostly from the Gulf, notably Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

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 when the country hosted the first three King Fahd Cups (predecessor of the Confederations Cup). The stadium was also home to some of Saudi Arabia's big games in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Saudi Arabia started to diversify the use of venues from outside Riyadh in the 2000s, with the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers first round played in Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam and the second round played entirely in Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium. In the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers second round against Sri Lanka and at the first fixture against Uzbekistan in the third round, Saudi Arabia played again in Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium. It was accelerated from 2010s onward as Saudi Arabia began to play frequent home fixtures in newly built King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah and Mrsool Park also in Riyadh.

Recent schedule and results

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

2021
11 November 2021 2022 W.C. Q Australia  0–0  Saudi Arabia Sydney, Australia
20:10 UTC+11 Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)		 Stadium: Western Sydney Stadium
Attendance: 23,314
Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)
16 November 2021 2022 W.C. Q Vietnam  0–1  Saudi Arabia Hanoi, Vietnam
19:00 UTC+7 Report
  • Al-Shehri 31'
 Stadium: Mỹ Đình National Stadium
Attendance: 9,669
Referee: Hanna Hattab (Syria)
1 December 2021 2021 Arab Cup GS Saudi Arabia  0–1  Jordan Al Rayyan, Qatar
22:00 UTC+3 Report
  • Al-Dawsari 62' (o.g.)
 Stadium: Education City Stadium
Attendance: 4,777
Referee: Bakary Gassama (Gambia)
4 December 2021 2021 Arab Cup GS Palestine  1–1  Saudi Arabia Al Rayyan, Qatar
22:00 UTC+3
  • Rashid 45+2'
 Report
  • Al-Hamdan 81'
 Stadium: Education City Stadium
Attendance: 3,075
Referee: Said Martínez (Honduras)
7 December 2021 2021 Arab Cup GS Morocco A'  1–0  Saudi Arabia Doha, Qatar
18:00 UTC+3
  • El Berkaoui 45+4' (pen.)
 Report Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium
Attendance: 8,502
Referee: Andrés Matonte (Uruguay)

2022
27 January 2022 2022 W.C. Q Saudi Arabia  1–0  Oman Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
20:15 UTC+3
  • Al-Buraikan 48'
 Report Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City
Attendance: 47,364
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)
1 February 2022 2022 W.C. Q Japan  2–0  Saudi Arabia Saitama, Japan
19:14 UTC+9 Minamino 31'
Ito 50'		 Report Stadium: Saitama Stadium 2002
Attendance: 19,118
Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)
24 March 2022 2022 W.C. Q China  1–1  Saudi Arabia Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
19:00 UTC+4
  • Zhu Chenjie 82' (pen.)
 Report
  • Al-Shehri 45+1'
 Stadium: Sharjah Stadium
Attendance: 200
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates)
29 March 2022 2022 W.C. Q Saudi Arabia  1–0  Australia Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
21:00 UTC+3
  • Al-Dawsari 65' (pen.)
 Report Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City
Attendance: 51,433
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)
5 June 2022 Friendly Saudi Arabia  0–1  Colombia Murcia, Spain
19:00 UTC+2 Report Borré 9' Stadium: Estadio Nueva Condomina
Referee: Jason Barcelo (Gibraltar)
9 June 2022 Friendly Saudi Arabia  0–1  Venezuela Murcia, Spain
19:00 UTC+2 Report
  • Ferraresi 37'
 Stadium: Estadio Nueva Condomina
Referee: Daniel Gómez Gordillo (Gibraltar)
23 September 2022 Friendly Saudi Arabia  0–0  Ecuador Murcia, Spain
20:00 UTC+2 Report Stadium: Estadio Nueva Condomina
Referee: Ivan Bebek (Croatia)
27 September 2022 Friendly Saudi Arabia  0–0  United States Murcia, Spain
20:00 UTC+2 Report Stadium: Estadio Nueva Condomina
Referee: Ivan Bebek (Croatia)
22 October 2022 Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–0  North Macedonia Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
18:30 UTC+4
  • Al-Shehri 85'
 Report Stadium: Zayed Sports City Stadium
26 October 2022 Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–1  Albania Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
21:00 UTC+4 Al-Shehri 43' (pen.) Report Balaj 47' Stadium: Al Nahyan Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Adel Al Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)
30 October 2022 Friendly Saudi Arabia  0–0  Honduras Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
18:30 UTC+4 Report Stadium: Al Nahyan Stadium
6 November 2022 Friendly Saudi Arabia  v  Iceland Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
16:00 UTC+4 Report Stadium: Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium
10 November 2022 Friendly Panama  v  Saudi Arabia Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
16:00 UTC+4 Report Stadium: Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium
16 November 2022 Friendly Saudi Arabia  v  Croatia Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
20:00 UTC+3 Report
22 November 2022 FIFA World Cup Argentina  v  Saudi Arabia Lusail, Qatar
13:00 UTC+3 Stadium: Lusail Iconic Stadium
26 November 2022 FIFA World Cup Poland  v  Saudi Arabia Al Rayyan, Qatar
16:00 UTC+3 Stadium: Education City Stadium
30 November 2022 FIFA World Cup Saudi Arabia  v  Mexico Lusail, Qatar
22:00 UTC+3 Stadium: Lusail Iconic Stadium

2023
6 January 2023 25th Arabian Gulf Cup Yemen  v  Saudi Arabia Basra, Iraq
--:-- UTC+3 Stadium: TBD
9 January 2023 25th Arabian Gulf Cup Saudi Arabia  v  Iraq Basra, Iraq
--:-- UTC+3 Stadium: TBD
12 January 2023 25th Arabian Gulf Cup Saudi Arabia  v  Oman Basra, Iraq
--:-- UTC+3 Stadium: TBD
Asian Cup GS Saudi Arabia  v TBD Qatar
Stadium: TBD
Asian Cup GS TBD v  Saudi Arabia Qatar
Stadium: TBD
Asian Cup GS Saudi Arabia  v TBD Qatar
Stadium: TBD

Coaching staff
As of 29 July 2021[22][23]
Position Name
Head coach Hervé Renard
Assistant coach Laurent Bonadéi
Sofian Kheyari
Mohammed Ameen
Goalkeeper coach Philippe Sence
Technical director Romeo Jozak

Coaching history
  • Abdulrahman Fawzi (1957–1961)
  • Ali Chaouach (1967–1969)
  • George Skinner (1970)
  • Mohammed Sheita (1970–1972)
  • Taha Ismail (1972–1974)
  • Abdo Saleh El Wahsh 1974)
  • Ferenc Puskás (1975)
  • Bill McGarry (1976–1977)
  • Ronnie Allen (1978)
  • Danny Allison (1978)
  • David Woodfield (1979)
  • Rubens Minelli (1980)
  • Mario Zagallo (1981–1984)
  • Khalil Ibrahim Al-Zayani (1984–1986)
  • Castilho (1986)
  • Osvaldo (1987)
  • Carlos Galletti (1988)
  • Omar Borrás (1988)
  • Carlos Alberto Parreira (1988–1990)
  • Metin Türel (1990)
  • Claudinho Garcia (1990–1992)
  • Veloso (1992)
  • Nelsinho Rosa (1992)
  • Candinho (1993)
  • Leo Beenhakker (1993–1994)
  • Mohammed Al-Kharashy (1994, 1995, 1998)
  • Ivo Wortmann (1994)
  • Jorge Solari (1994)
  • Zé Mário (1995–1996)
  • Nelo Vingada (1996–1997)
  • Otto Pfister (1998)
  • Carlos Alberto Parreira (1998)
  • Otto Pfister (1999)
  • Milan Máčala (1999–2000)
  • Nasser Al-Johar (2000, 2001–2002, 2004, 2008–2009, 2011)
  • Slobodan Santrac (2001)
  • Gerard van der Lem (2002–2004)
  • Martin Koopman (2002)
  • Gabriel Calderon (2004–2005)
  • Marcos Paquetá (2006–2007)
  • Hélio dos Anjos (2007–2008)
  • José Peseiro (2009–2011)
  • Rogério Lourenço (2011)
  • Frank Rijkaard (2011–2013)
  • Juan Ramón López Caro (2013–2014)
  • Cosmin Olăroiu (2014–2015)
  • Faisal Al Baden (2015)
  • Bert van Marwijk (2015–2017)
  • Edgardo Bauza (2017)
  • Juan Antonio Pizzi (2017–2019)
  • Youssef Anbar (2019)
  • Hervé Renard (2019–present)

Players

Current squad

The following 33 players were called up for the friendlies taking place from 23 October to 10 November 2022.[24]

  • Match date: 22 October – 10 November 2022
  • Opposition:  North Macedonia,  Albania,  Honduras,  Iceland, &  Panama.
  • Caps and goals are correct as of 30 October 2022, after the match against  Honduras, as recognized by SAFF.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Mohammed Al-Owais (1991-10-10) 10 October 1991 38 0 Al-Hilal
1GK Mohammed Al Rubaie (1997-08-14) 14 August 1997 8 0 Al-Ahli
1GK Nawaf Al-Aqidi (2000-05-10) 10 May 2000 1 0 Al-Nassr
1GK Amin Bukhari (1997-05-02) 2 May 1997 0 0 Al-Nassr
2DF Yasser Al-Shahrani (1992-05-25) 25 May 1992 70 2 Al-Hilal
2DF Mohammed Al-Breik (1992-09-15) 15 September 1992 38 1 Al-Hilal
2DF Ali Al-Bulaihi (1989-11-21) 21 November 1989 35 0 Al-Hilal
2DF Sultan Al-Ghanam (1994-05-06) 6 May 1994 23 0 Al-Nassr
2DF Saud Abdulhamid (1999-07-18) 18 July 1999 20 0 Al-Hilal
2DF Abdulelah Al-Amri (1997-01-16) 16 January 1997 17 1 Al-Nassr
2DF Hassan Tambakti (1999-02-09) 9 February 1999 16 0 Al-Shabab
2DF Abdullah Madu (1993-07-15) 15 July 1993 14 0 Al-Nassr
2DF Ahmed Bamsaud (1995-11-22) 22 November 1995 3 0 Al-Ittihad
2DF Zakaria Hawsawi (2001-01-12) 12 January 2001 0 0 Al-Ittihad
3MF Fahad Al-Muwallad (1994-09-14) 14 September 1994 72 17 Al-Shabab
3MF Salman Al-Faraj (1989-08-01) 1 August 1989 69 8 Al-Hilal
3MF Salem Al-Dawsari (1991-08-19) 19 August 1991 67 17 Al-Hilal
3MF Nawaf Al-Abed (1990-01-26) 26 January 1990 51 8 Al-Shabab
3MF Abdullah Otayf (1992-08-03) 3 August 1992 45 1 Al-Hilal
3MF Hattan Bahebri (1992-07-16) 16 July 1992 40 4 Al-Shabab
3MF Mohamed Kanno (1994-09-22) 22 September 1994 34 1 Al-Hilal
3MF Abdulellah Al-Malki (1994-10-11) 11 October 1994 24 0 Al-Hilal
3MF Sami Al-Najei (1997-02-07) 7 February 1997 16 2 Al-Nassr
3MF Ali Al-Hassan (1997-03-04) 4 March 1997 12 1 Al-Nassr
3MF Nasser Al-Dawsari (1998-12-19) 19 December 1998 8 0 Al-Hilal
3MF Ayman Yahya (2001-05-14) 14 May 2001 8 0 Al-Nassr
3MF Riyadh Sharahili (1993-04-28) 28 April 1993 4 0 Abha
3MF Abdulrahman Al-Aboud (1995-06-01) 1 June 1995 3 0 Al-Ittihad
4FW Firas Al-Buraikan (2000-05-14) 14 May 2000 24 6 Al-Fateh
4FW Abdullah Al-Hamdan (1999-09-13) 13 September 1999 21 5 Al-Hilal
4FW Saleh Al-Shehri (1993-11-01) 1 November 1993 19 10 Al-Hilal
4FW Haitham Asiri (2001-03-25) 25 March 2001 6 0 Al-Ahli
4FW Abdullah Radif (2003-01-20) 20 January 2003 5 0 Al-Taawoun

Recent call-ups

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 Fawaz Al-Qarni (1992-04-02) 2 April 1992 10 0 Al-Shabab v.  Albania, 26 October 2022 INJ
GK Zaid Al-Bawardi (1997-01-26) 26 January 1997 2 0 Al-Shabab v.  Oman, 27 January 2022 INJ
DF Ziyad Al-Sahafi (1994-02-03) 3 February 1994 12 0 Al-Taawoun v.  Venezuela, 9 June 2022
DF Ali Lajami (1996-04-24) 24 April 1996 3 0 Al-Nassr v.  Venezuela, 9 June 2022
DF Moteb Al-Harbi (2000-02-20) 20 February 2000 3 0 Al-Shabab v.  Australia, 29 March 2022
DF Ahmed Sharahili (1993-07-06) 6 July 1993 3 0 Al-Ittihad v.  Australia, 29 March 2022
DF Ali Majrashi (1999-10-01) 1 October 1999 3 0 Al-Ahli 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
DF Waleed Al-Ahmed (1999-05-03) 3 May 1999 2 0 Al-Faisaly 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
DF Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti (1999-03-12) 12 March 1999 2 0 Al-Ittihad 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
DF Naif Almas (2000-01-18) 18 January 2000 2 0 Al-Fayha 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
DF Sulaiman Hazazi (2003-02-01) 1 February 2003 2 0 Al-Taawoun 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
DF Khalifah Al-Dawsari (1999-01-02) 2 January 1999 1 0 Al-Hilal 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
DF Nawaf Boushal (1999-09-16) 16 September 1999 1 0 Al-Fateh 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
DF Mohammed Al-Khabrani (1993-10-14) 14 October 1993 17 2 Al-Khaleej v.  China, 12 October 2021
DF Hussain Qassem (1997-09-21) 21 September 1997 0 0 Al-Tai v.  China, 12 October 2021
MF Awad Al-Nashri (2002-03-15) 15 March 2002 0 0 Al-Ittihad v.  United States, 27 September 2022
MF Abdulaziz Al-Bishi (1994-03-11) 11 March 1994 19 1 Al-Ittihad v.  Venezuela, 9 June 2022
MF Abdulrahman Ghareeb (1997-03-31) 31 March 1997 15 1 Al-Nassr v.  Venezuela, 9 June 2022
MF Khalid Al-Ghannam (2000-11-07) 7 November 2000 3 0 Al-Nassr v.  Venezuela, 9 June 2022
MF Abdullah Al-Khaibari (1996-08-16) 16 August 1996 12 0 Al-Nassr v.  Japan, 1 February 2021
MF Turki Al-Ammar (1999-09-24) 24 September 1999 6 0 Al-Shabab 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
MF Hamed Al-Ghamdi (1999-04-02) 2 April 1999 3 0 Al-Ettifaq 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
MF Mohammed Al-Qahtani (2002-07-23) 23 July 2002 3 0 Al-Hilal 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
MF Meshal Al-Sebyani (2001-04-11) 11 April 2001 2 0 Al-Faisaly 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
MF Ibrahim Mahnashi (1999-11-18) 18 November 1999 1 0 Al-Ettifaq 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
MF Bader Munshi (1999-06-22) 22 June 1999 1 0 Damac 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
MF Ziyad Al-Johani (2001-11-11) 11 November 2001 0 0 Al-Ahli 2021 FIFA Arab Cup INJ
MF Ali Al-Asmari (1997-01-12) 12 January 1997 4 0 Al-Ahli v.  Vietnam, 16 November 2021
MF Mohammed Al-Kuwaykibi (1994-12-02) 2 December 1994 9 0 Al-Ettifaq v.  Australia, 11 November 2021 WD
FW Haroune Camara (1998-01-31) 31 January 1998 10 0 Al-Ittihad v.  United States, 27 September 2022
  • 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
As of 20 November 2018[25]
Players in bold are still active with Saudi Arabia.
Most caps
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1Mohamed Al-Deayea178[1]01993–2006
2Mohammed Al-Khilaiwi16331990–2001
3Sami Al-Jaber156461992–2006
4Abdullah Zubromawi14231993–2002
5Osama Hawsawi13872006–2018
Hussein Abdulghani13851996–2018
7Taisir Al-Jassim134192004–2018
8Saud Kariri13372001–2015
9Mohamed Abd Al-Jawad12171981–1994
10Mohammad Al-Shalhoub118192000–2018
Top goalscorers
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1Majed Abdullah721160.611978–1994
2Sami Al-Jaber461560.291992–2006
3Yasser Al-Qahtani421080.392002–2013
4Obeid Al-Dosari41940.441994–2002
5Talal Al-Meshal32600.531998–2006
6Mohammad Al-Sahlawi28420.672010–2018
Khaled Al-Muwallid281140.251988–1998
8Hamzah Idris26660.391992–2000
Fahad Al-Mehallel26870.31992–1999
10Saeed Al-Owairan24750.321992–1998
Ibrahim Al-Shahrani24860.281997–2005

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  

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 7
Asian Games 0 1 1
Pan Arab Games 0 1 1
Total 8 14 10

FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930Not a FIFA member No qualification
1934 Not a FIFA member
1938
1950
1954
1958Did not enter Did not enter
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978Did not qualify 410337
1982 10415916
1986 201101
1990 9432119
1994Round of 1612th420256 11650287
1998Group stage28th301227 14932267
200232nd3003012 141121478
200628th301227 121020242
2010Did not qualify 168532515
2014 8332147
2018Group stage26th310227 1812334514
2022Qualified 1813413410
2026To be determinedTo be determined
TotalRound of 166/221632111139136813223266103

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 AFC Asian Cup qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1956Not an AFC member Not an AFC member
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976Withdrew 6312125
1980 Withdrew
1984 Champions 1st 6 3 3 0 7 3 4400190
1988 Champions 1st 6 3 3 0 5 1 Automatic qualification as champions
1992 Runners-up 2nd 5 2 2 1 8 3 Automatic qualification as champions
1996 Champions 1st 6 3 2 1 11 6 4400100
2000 Runners-up 2nd 6 3 1 2 11 8 Automatic qualification as champions
2004Group stage13th301235 6600311
2007 Runners-up 2nd 6 4 1 1 12 6 6501214
2011Group stage15th300318 Automatic qualification as runners-up
2015 10th 3 1 0 2 5 5 6 5 1 0 9 3
2019Round of 1612th420263 8620284
2023Qualified 8620224
Total3 Titles11/1848211314694848396315221

FIFA Confederations Cup
FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
1992 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 0 1 4 3 Squad
1995 Group stage 5th 2 0 0 2 0 4 Squad
1997 Group stage 7th 3 1 0 2 1 8 Squad
1999 Fourth place 4th 5 1 1 3 8 16 Squad
2001 Did not qualify
2003
2005
2009
2013
2017
Total Runners-up 4/11 12 3 1 8 13 31 -

Arabian Gulf Cup record

Pan Arab Games
Pan Arab Games record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
1953Did not enter
1957Group stage311143
1961Round robin5104438
1965Did not enter
1976Runners-up631294
1985Fourth place430163
1997Did not enter
1999First round201123
2007Third place411255
2011First round201102
Total7/102695123158

West Asian Football Federation Championship
WAFF Championship record
Year Round Pld W D L GF GA
2000Did not participate
2002
2004
2007
2008
2010
2012Group stage311111
2014Group stage201114
2019Group stage301215
Total3/98134310

All-time results

The following table shows Saudi Arabia's all-time international record, correct as of 18 November 2020.

Against Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA
Total6773191511971033728

Honours

International
  • FIFA Confederations Cup:
    • Runner-up: 1992
    • Fourth Place: 1999

Continental
  • AFC Asian Cup:
    • Winner: 1984, 1988, 1996
    • Runner-up: 1992, 2000, 2007
  • Asian Games
    • Silver Medalists: 1986
    • Bronze Medalists: 1982

Regional
  • Arabian Gulf Cup:
    • Winner: 1994, 2002, 2003
    • Runner-up: 1972, 1974, 1998, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2019
    • Third Place: 1970, 1979, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1996
  • Arab Cup:
    • Winner: 1998, 2002
    • Runner-up: 1992
    • Third Place: 1985
  • Pan Arab Games
    • Silver Medalists: 1976
    • Bronze Medalists: 2007

Other
  • Afro-Asian Cup of Nations:
    • Runner-up: 1985, 1997
  • 2005 Islamic Solidarity Games
    • Gold Medalists: 2005

Notes

    References
    1. "FIFA Century Club" (PDF). Fifa.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
    2. "Majed Abdullah". RSSSF.
    3. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
    4. "1953.. أول بعثة رياضية إلى الخارج".
    5. "Saudi Arabia - History".
    6. "Saudi Arabia reaches World Cup finals with dramatic win over Japan". Arab News. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
    7. Fletcher, Paul (14 June 2018). "World Cup 2018: Russia thrash Saudi Arabia 5-0 in tournament". BBC Sport. Moscow: BBC. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
    8. Bond, George (20 June 2018). "Are Saudi Arabia the worst team ever at a World Cup?". Talksport. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
    9. "World Cup: Uruguay defeat Saudi Arabia 1-0, qualify for knockout stages". Euronews. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
    10. "Highlights: Saudi Arabia beat Egypt as both nations eliminated". itv.com. ITV plc. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
    11. Chowdhury, Saj (25 June 2018). "Mohamed Salah scored his second goal of the World Cup but Egypt ended their campaign pointless with defeat by Saudi Arabia at Volgograd Arena". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
    12. "AFC Asian Cup 2019: Saudi Arabia 0-2 Qatar in Abu Dhabi".
    13. "MLS News, Scores, & Standings | FOX Sports".
    14. "Some booed Saudi-Palestinian soccer match in West Bank even before it started". The Washington Post.
    15. "2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™ Qualifiers - Asia - Matches - Palestine - Saudi Arabia - FIFA.com". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 1 September 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
    16. "Schedule". AS.com. 2 April 2022.
    17. UNDER THE RADAR BUT BRIMMING WITH OPTIMISM
    18. "International Football's 10 Most Politically-Charged Football Rivalries | Bleacher Report | Latest News, Videos and Highlights".
    19. "Policy Goals: Soccer and the Saudi-Iranian Rivalry | Center for Strategic and International Studies".
    20. "World Cup '94-political Football - tribunedigital-chicagotribune". Archived from the original on 12 May 2015.
    21. Reuters
    22. "Overview of coaches". ksa-team.com. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
    23. "Saudi Arabia National Team Coaches". rsssf.com. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
    24. "رينارد يعلن قائمة الأخضر للمعسكر الأخير استعداداً لنهائيات كأس العالم 2022".
    25. Naeim Albakr. "Saudi Arabia – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
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