kids encyclopedia robot

Saudi Arabia national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Saudi Arabia women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Saudi Arabia
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) الأخضر (al-‘Akhḍar, "The Green")
الصقور الخضر (aṣ-Ṣuqūr al-‘Khoḍur, "Green Falcons")
الصقور العربية (aṣ-Ṣuqūr Al-ʿArabiyyah, "Arabian Falcons")
Association Saudi Arabian Football Federation
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation WAFF (West Asia)
Head coach Hervé Renard
Captain Salman Al-Faraj
Most caps Mohamed Al-Deayea (178)
Top scorer Majed Abdullah (72)
Home stadium Various
FIFA code KSA
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 70 Decrease 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest 21 (July 2004)
Lowest 126 (December 2012)
Elo ranking
Current 63 Increase 6 (3 March 2019)
Highest 27 (November 1998)
Lowest 112 (1970, 1972)
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
Appearances 6 (first in 1994)
Best result Round of 16 (1994)
Asian Cup
Appearances 10 (first in 1984)
Best result Champions (1984, 1988, 1996)
Arab Cup
Appearances 7 (first in 1985)
Best result Champions (1998, 2002)
Arabian Gulf Cup
Appearances 23 (first in 1970)
Best result Champions (1994, 2002, 2003–04)
Confederations Cup
Appearances 4 (first in 1992)
Best result Runners-up (1992)
Medal record
Men's football
FIFA Confederations Cup
Silver Saudi Arabia 1992 Squad
FIFA Arab Cup
Gold Qatar 1998 Squad
Gold Kuwait 2002 Squad
Silver Syria 1992 Squad
Bronze Saudi Arabia 1985 Squad
AFC Asian Cup
Gold Singapore 1984 Squad
Gold Qatar 1988 Squad
Gold UAE 1996 Squad
Silver Japan 1992 Squad
Silver Lebanon 2000 Squad
Silver Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand-Vietnam 2007 Squad
Asian Games
Silver Seoul 1986 Squad
Bronze New Delhi 1982 Squad
Pan Arab Games
Silver Damascus 1976 Squad
Bronze Cairo 2007 Squad
Website saff.sa

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-Khodhur (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.

In 2027, Saudi Arabia will host the AFC Asian Cup. It will be the first time that the nation has ever hosted an Asian Cup.

History

Early 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.

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.

Debuting successes and subsequent declines

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.

Revival and history written

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

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, 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.

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. The game ended in a scoreless draw.

Saudi Arabia qualified for the 2022 FIFA 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. In the opening game of their group, they defeated a much fancied Argentina side 2–1, ending an Argentine unbeaten streak of 36 games dating back to 2019. The Saudi King declared a Holiday after the win over Argentina. They then lost their next match against Poland, 2–0. Salem Al-Dawsari's penalty was saved by Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny in the first half when the score was 1–0. This made Saudi require a win against Mexico to advance to the Round of 16 regardless of the Argentina-Poland result. Saudi Arabia ended up losing the game 2–1 and was subsequently eliminated from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the group stages, finishing 4th in their group. As Argentina subsequently walked on to eventually claim the 2022 FIFA World Cup title, the shock win Saudi Arabia gained against Argentina was a major consolation for the country's early World Cup exit.

Kits and crests

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

Kit suppliers

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

Rivalries

Main pages: Iran–Saudi Arabia football rivalry and Iraq–Saudi Arabia football rivalry

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. Iran is leading the series by one game. Saudi Arabia has 4 wins, 6 draws, and 5 losses against Iran. It's one of 10 most heated rivalries with political influence.

Saudi Arabia's other heated rival is Iraq. However, the rivalry only 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. 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.

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.

Results and fixtures

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

Main page: Saudi Arabia national football team results (2020–present)

2022

2023

Coaching staff

Position Name
Head Coach France Hervé Renard
Assistant Coaches Saudi Arabia Mohammed Ameen
France Laurent Bonadéi
France Sofian Kheyari
Goalkeeper Coach France Philippe Sence
Technical Director Croatia Romeo Jozak

Coaching history

  • Egypt Abdulrahman Fawzi (1957–1961)
  • Tunisia Ali Chaouach (1967–1969)
  • England George Skinner (1970)
  • Egypt Mohammed Sheita (1970–1972)
  • Egypt Taha Ismail (1972–1974)
  • Egypt Abdo Saleh El Wahsh 1974)
  • Hungary Ferenc Puskás (1975)
  • England Bill McGarry (1976–1977)
  • England Ronnie Allen (1978)
  • England Danny Allison (1978)
  • England David Woodfield (1979)
  • Brazil Rubens Minelli (1980)
  • Brazil Mario Zagallo (1981–1984)
  • Saudi Arabia Khalil Ibrahim Al-Zayani (1984–1986)
  • Brazil Castilho (1986)
  • Brazil Osvaldo (1987)
  • Brazil Carlos Galletti (1988)
  • Uruguay Omar Borrás (1988)
  • Brazil Carlos Alberto Parreira (1988–1990)
  • Turkey Metin Türel (1990)
  • Brazil Claudinho Garcia (1990–1992)
  • Brazil Veloso (1992)
  • Brazil Nelsinho Rosa (1992)
  • Brazil Candinho (1993)
  • Netherlands Leo Beenhakker (1993–1994)
  • Saudi Arabia Mohammed Al-Kharashy (1994, 1995, 1998)
  • Brazil Ivo Wortmann (1994)
  • Argentina Jorge Solari (1994)
  • Brazil Zé Mário (1995–1996)
  • Portugal Nelo Vingada (1996–1997)
  • Germany Otto Pfister (1998)
  • Brazil Carlos Alberto Parreira (1998)
  • Germany Otto Pfister (1999)
  • Czech Republic Milan Máčala (1999–2000)
  • Saudi Arabia Nasser Al-Johar (2000, 2001–2002, 2004, 2008–2009, 2011)
  • Serbia and Montenegro Slobodan Santrač (2001)
  • Netherlands Gerard van der Lem (2002–2004)
  • Netherlands Martin Koopman (2002)
  • Argentina Gabriel Calderon (2004–2005)
  • Brazil Marcos Paquetá (2006–2007)
  • Brazil Hélio dos Anjos (2007–2008)
  • Portugal José Peseiro (2009–2011)
  • Brazil Rogério Lourenço (2011)
  • Netherlands Frank Rijkaard (2011–2013)
  • Spain Juan Ramón López Caro (2013–2014)
  • Romania Cosmin Olăroiu (2014–2015)
  • Saudi Arabia Faisal Al Baden (2015)
  • Netherlands Bert van Marwijk (2015–2017)
  • Argentina Edgardo Bauza (2017)
  • Argentina Spain Juan Antonio Pizzi (2017–2019)
  • Saudi Arabia Youssef Anbar (2019)
  • France Hervé Renard (2019–present)
  • France Laurent Bonadéi (2021)
  • Saudi Arabia Saad Al-Shehri (2023)

Players

Current squad

The following 23 players were called up for the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup.

  • Match date: 6 – 12 January 2023
  • Opposition:  Yemen,  Iraq, &  Oman.
  • Caps and goals are correct as of 30 November 2022, after the match against  Mexico, as recognized by SAFF.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Mohammed Al-Absi (2002-09-24) 24 September 2002 (age 21) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab
1GK Nawaf Al-Aqidi (2000-05-10) 10 May 2000 (age 23) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
1GK Abdulbassit Hawsawi (1996-12-21) 21 December 1996 (age 26) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Damac
2DF Ziyad Al-Sahafi (1994-02-03) 3 February 1994 (age 29) 12 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun
2DF Ahmed Bamsaud (1995-11-22) 22 November 1995 (age 27) 3 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
2DF Madallah Al-Olayan (1994-08-25) 25 August 1994 (age 29) 2 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
2DF Meshal Al-Sebyani (2001-04-11) 11 April 2001 (age 22) 2 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Faisaly
2DF Hussain Al-Sibyani (2001-06-24) 24 June 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab
2DF Rayane Hamidou (2002-04-13) 13 April 2002 (age 21) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
2DF Qassem Lajami (1996-04-24) 24 April 1996 (age 27) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Fateh
3MF Turki Al-Ammar (1999-09-23) 23 September 1999 (age 24) 6 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab
3MF Riyadh Sharahili (1993-04-28) 28 April 1993 (age 30) 6 0 Saudi Arabia Abha
3MF Mohammed Aboulshamat (2002-08-11) 11 August 2002 (age 21) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Qadsiah
3MF Hussain Al-Eisa (2000-12-29) 29 December 2000 (age 22) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Wehda
3MF Ahmed Al-Ghamdi (2001-09-20) 20 September 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ettifaq
3MF Faisal Al-Ghamdi (2001-08-13) 13 August 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ettifaq
3MF Musab Al-Juwayr (2003-06-20) 20 June 2003 (age 20) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
3MF Sumayhan Al-Nabit (1996-03-27) 27 March 1996 (age 27) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun
3MF Awad Al-Nashri (2002-03-15) 15 March 2002 (age 21) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
3MF Saad Al-Nasser (2001-01-08) 8 January 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun
3MF Naif Masoud (2001-03-08) 8 March 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Qadsiah
4FW Raed Al-Ghamdi (1994-05-06) 6 May 1994 (age 29) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Raed
4FW Mohammed Maran (2001-02-15) 15 February 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr

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 Mohammed Al-Owais (1991-10-10) 10 October 1991 (age 31) 45 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 2022 FIFA World Cup
GK Mohammed Al-Rubaie (1997-08-14) 14 August 1997 (age 26) 7 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 2022 FIFA World Cup
GK Fawaz Al-Qarni (1992-04-02) 2 April 1992 (age 31) 10 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab 2022 FIFA World Cup INJ
GK Amin Bukhari (1997-05-02) 2 May 1997 (age 26) 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
GK Zaid Al-Bawardi (1997-01-26) 26 January 1997 (age 26) 2 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab v.  Oman, 27 January 2022 INJ
DF Yasser Al-Shahrani (1992-05-25) 25 May 1992 (age 31) 73 2 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 2022 FIFA World Cup
DF Mohammed Al-Breik (1992-09-15) 15 September 1992 (age 31) 42 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 2022 FIFA World Cup
DF Ali Al-Bulaihi (1989-11-21) 21 November 1989 (age 33) 40 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 2022 FIFA World Cup
DF Sultan Al-Ghannam (1994-05-06) 6 May 1994 (age 29) 27 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 2022 FIFA World Cup
DF Saud Abdulhamid (1999-07-18) 18 July 1999 (age 24) 26 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 2022 FIFA World Cup
DF Abdulelah Al-Amri (1997-01-15) 15 January 1997 (age 26) 23 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 2022 FIFA World Cup
DF Hassan Tambakti (1999-02-09) 9 February 1999 (age 24) 21 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab 2022 FIFA World Cup
DF Abdullah Madu (1993-07-15) 15 July 1993 (age 30) 16 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 2022 FIFA World Cup
DF Zakaria Hawsawi (2001-01-12) 12 January 2001 (age 22) 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF Ali Lajami (1996-04-24) 24 April 1996 (age 27) 3 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr v.  Venezuela, 9 June 2022
DF Moteb Al-Harbi (2000-02-20) 20 February 2000 (age 23) 3 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab v.  Australia, 29 March 2022
DF Ahmed Sharahili (1993-07-06) 6 July 1993 (age 30) 3 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad v.  Australia, 29 March 2022
MF Salem Al-Dawsari (1991-08-19) 19 August 1991 (age 32) 74 19 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 2022 FIFA World Cup
MF Salman Al-Faraj (1989-08-01) 1 August 1989 (age 34) 71 8 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 2022 FIFA World Cup
MF Nawaf Al-Abed (1990-01-26) 26 January 1990 (age 33) 57 8 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab 2022 FIFA World Cup
MF Abdullah Otayf (1992-08-03) 3 August 1992 (age 31) 45 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 2022 FIFA World Cup
MF Hattan Bahebri (1992-07-16) 16 July 1992 (age 31) 43 4 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab 2022 FIFA World Cup
MF Mohamed Kanno (1994-09-22) 22 September 1994 (age 29) 41 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 2022 FIFA World Cup
MF Abdulellah Al-Malki (1994-10-11) 11 October 1994 (age 28) 29 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 2022 FIFA World Cup
MF Sami Al-Najei (1997-02-07) 7 February 1997 (age 26) 18 2 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 2022 FIFA World Cup
MF Ali Al-Hassan (1997-03-04) 4 March 1997 (age 26) 14 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 2022 FIFA World Cup
MF Nasser Al-Dawsari (1998-12-19) 19 December 1998 (age 24) 11 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 2022 FIFA World Cup
MF Abdulrahman Al-Aboud (1995-06-01) 1 June 1995 (age 28) 5 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 2022 FIFA World Cup
MF Fahad Al-Muwallad (1994-09-14) 14 September 1994 (age 29) 74 17 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab 2022 FIFA World Cup SUS
MF Ayman Yahya (2001-05-14) 14 May 2001 (age 22) 10 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
MF Abdulaziz Al-Bishi (1994-03-11) 11 March 1994 (age 29) 19 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad v.  Venezuela, 9 June 2022
MF Abdulrahman Ghareeb (1997-03-31) 31 March 1997 (age 26) 15 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr v.  Venezuela, 9 June 2022
MF Khalid Al-Ghannam (2000-11-07) 7 November 2000 (age 22) 3 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr v.  Venezuela, 9 June 2022
MF Abdullah Al-Khaibari (1996-08-16) 16 August 1996 (age 27) 12 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr v.  Japan, 1 February 2022
FW Firas Al-Buraikan (2000-05-14) 14 May 2000 (age 23) 30 6 Saudi Arabia Al-Fateh 2022 FIFA World Cup
FW Saleh Al-Shehri (1993-11-01) 1 November 1993 (age 29) 23 11 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 2022 FIFA World Cup
FW Haitham Asiri (2001-03-25) 25 March 2001 (age 22) 9 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 2022 FIFA World Cup
FW Abdullah Al-Hamdan (1999-09-13) 13 September 1999 (age 24) 22 5 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
FW Abdullah Radif (2003-01-20) 20 January 2003 (age 20) 5 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
FW Haroune Camara (1998-01-31) 31 January 1998 (age 25) 10 0 Saudi Arabia 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

Players in bold are still active with Saudi Arabia.
Most caps
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Mohamed Al-Deayea 178 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
Top goalscorers
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

WM06 ASA-UKR Warm Up
Saudi players warm-up before their match against Ukraine during the 2006 FIFA World Cup (19 June 2006)
Sdm 4680
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
Pan Arab Games 0 1 1
Total 8 14 11

FIFA World Cup

Main page: Saudi Arabia at the 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
Uruguay 1930 Not a FIFA member No qualification
Italy 1934 Not a FIFA member
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958 Did not enter Did not enter
Chile 1962
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974
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 To be determined To be determined
Total Round of 16 6/22 19 4 2 13 14 44 136 81 32 23 266 103

AFC Asian Cup

Main page: Saudi Arabia at the AFC Asian Cup
Asian Cup 1984, match Saudi Arabia and China
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
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
People's Republic of 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 Qualified 8 6 2 0 22 4
Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualified as host To be determined
Total 3 Titles 12/19 48 21 13 14 69 48 48 39 6 3 152 21

FIFA Arab Cup

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

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 record

Arabian Gulf Cup record
Hosts / year Result Position GP W D L GS 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 3 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 Qualified
Total 3 Titles 24/25 109 56 25 28 163 102

Pan Arab Games

Pan 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 Round robin 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
Total 7/10 26 9 5 12 31 58

Asian Games

Football at the Asian Games has been an under-23 tournament since 2002.
See also: Saudi Arabia national under-23 football team
Asian Games record
Year Result GP W D L GS GA
India 1951 Did not enter
Philippines 1954
Japan 1958
Indonesia 1962
Thailand 1966
Thailand 1970
Iran 1974
Thailand 1978 10th 3 0 2 1 3 4
India 1982 Third place 6 3 2 1 7 4
South Korea 1986 Runners-up 6 3 2 1 9 6
People's Republic of China 1990 5th 3 2 1 0 6 0
Japan 1994 5 3 0 2 9 10
Thailand 1998 Did not enter
2002–present See Saudi Arabia national under-23 football team
Total 5/13 23 11 7 5 34 24

FIFA Confederations Cup

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 4/11 12 3 1 8 13 31

All-time results

Main page: Saudi Arabia national football team results

The following table shows Saudi Arabia's all-time international record, correct as of 30 November 2022.

Against Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA
Total 708 334 159 205 1068 747

Honours

International

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, 2003–04
    • Runner-up: 1972, 1974, 1998, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2019
    • Third Place: 1970, 1979, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2007
  • Arab Cup:
    • Winner: 1998, 2002
    • Runner-up: 1992
    • Third Place: 1985
    • Fourth Place: 2012
  • Pan Arab Games
    • Silver Medalists: 1976
    • Bronze Medalists: 2007

Other

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

Titles

AFC Asian Cup

Preceded by
1980 Kuwait 		 Asian Cup Champions
1984 (First title)
1988 (Second title)		 Succeeded by
1992 Japan 
Preceded by
1992 Japan 		 Asian Cup Champions
1996 (Third title)		 Succeeded by
2000 Japan 

FIFA Arab Cup

Preceded by
1992 Egypt 		 Arab Cup Champions
1998 (First title)
2002 (Second title)		 Succeeded by
2012 Morocco 

Arabian Gulf Cup

Preceded by
1992 Qatar 		 Gulf Cup Champions
1994 (First title)		 Succeeded by
1996 Kuwait 
Preceded by
1998 Kuwait 		 Gulf Cup Champions
2002 (Second title)
2003–04 (Third title)		 Succeeded by
2004 Qatar 

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Arabia Saudita para niños

National Hispanic Heritage Month on Kiddle
Renowned Hispanic physicians
Alexander De Soto
Maria J. Merino
Raquel Eidelman Cohen
Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa
kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Saudi Arabia national football team Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.