Saudi Arabia national under-23 football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Saudi Arabia Under-23 and Olympic Team

Nickname(s)	الصقور الخضر (The Green Falcons)
Association	AFC (Asia)
Head coach	Saad Al-Shehri
Home stadium	King Fahd International Stadium
FIFA code	KSA
First colours Second colours
Olympic Games
Appearances	3 (first in 1984)
Best result	First Round (1984, 1996, 2020)
AFC U-23 Asian Cup
Appearances	6 (first in 2013)
Best result	Champions (2022)
Asian Games
Appearances	3 (first in 2014)
Best result	Quarter-finals (2014, 2018, 2022)
Website	Official Website: https://saff.com.sa/en/nationalteams.php?id=2

The Saudi Arabia national under-23 football team represents Saudi Arabia in international football games. This team is for players who are 23 years old or younger. They are also known as the Saudi Arabia Olympics football team because they play in the Olympic Games.

The team also competes in other important tournaments like the AFC U-23 Championship and the GCC U-23 Championship. The Saudi Arabian Football Federation is in charge of managing the team.

Recent Matches and Results

The Saudi Arabia U-23 team plays many friendly matches and official tournaments each year. Here are some of their recent results from 2023 and 2024.

Key to Results

      Win       Draw       Lose       Fixtures

Matches in 2023

In 2023, the team played a few friendly games. They won against Jordan and had a loss against Australia.

• 18 November 2023: Saudi Arabia U-23 vs Jordan U-23 (2–1 win)
• 21 November 2023: Saudi Arabia U-23 vs Australia U-23 (1–3 loss)

Matches in 2024

The team had a busy start to 2024, playing friendly matches and important tournament games.

• 27 January 2024: Saudi Arabia U-23 vs Ivory Coast U-23 (2–2 draw, won on penalties)
• 30 January 2024: Saudi Arabia U-23 vs Togo U-23 (2–1 win)
• 20 March 2024: Saudi Arabia U-23 vs Jordan U-23 (1–1 draw, won on penalties in WAFF U-23 Championship)
• 23 March 2024: Saudi Arabia U-23 vs China U-23 (1–0 win)
• 23 March 2024: South Korea U-23 vs Saudi Arabia U-23 (1–0 loss in WAFF U-23 Championship)
• 26 March 2024: Saudi Arabia U-23 vs China U-23 (2–0 win)
• 26 March 2024: Egypt U-23 vs Saudi Arabia U-23 (2–2 draw, lost on penalties in WAFF U-23 Championship)
• 5 April 2024: Indonesia U-23 vs Saudi Arabia U-23 (1–3 win)
• 9 April 2024: Saudi Arabia U-23 vs South Korea U-23 (1–0 win)

AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2024 Matches

The team also played in the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.

• 16 April 2024: Saudi Arabia U-23 vs Tajikistan U-23 (4–2 win)
• 19 April 2024: Thailand U-23 vs Saudi Arabia U-23 (0–5 win)
• 22 April 2024: Saudi Arabia U-23 vs Iraq U-23 (1–2 loss in Quarter-finals)
• 26 April 2024: Uzbekistan U-23 vs Saudi Arabia U-23 (2–0 loss in Group Stage)

Team Coaches and Staff

The team has a group of dedicated coaches and staff who help the players train and prepare for matches.

Role	Name	Country
Head coach	Saad Al-Shehri
Assistant coaches	Ahmed Al-Rowaie
	Ali Omair
	Yaya Touré
Goalkeeping coach	Abdulrahman Al-Juraisan
Fitness coach	Saad Al-Johar
Video analyst	Jibril Al-Omairi
Scout	Ayman Al-Faraj
	Thamer Sulaiman
Physiotherapist	Mohand Mohamed Sulaimani

Current Players

Here are the players who were chosen for the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup. These are the young talents representing Saudi Arabia.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi	(2001-02-03) 3 February 2001 (age 24)	16	0	Al-Ahli
	1GK	Ahmed Al Jubaya	(2001-10-26) 26 October 2001 (age 23)	13	0	Al-Qadsiah
	1GK	Mohammed Al-Absi	(2002-09-24) 24 September 2002 (age 22)	7	0	Al-Shabab
	2DF	Meshal Al-Sebyani	(2001-04-11) 11 April 2001 (age 24)	28	0	Al-Faisaly
	2DF	Mohammed Aboulshamat	(2002-08-11) 11 August 2002 (age 22)	23	1	Al-Qadsiah
	2DF	Rayane Hamidou	(2002-04-13) 13 April 2002 (age 23)	18	1	Al-Ahli
	2DF	Zakaria Hawsawi	(2001-01-12) 12 January 2001 (age 24)	16	1	Al-Ittihad
	2DF	Marwan Al-Sahafi	(2004-02-17) 17 February 2004 (age 21)	4	1	Beerschot
	2DF	Mohammed Sulaiman	(2004-04-08) 8 April 2004 (age 21)	4	0	Al-Ahli
	2DF	Jehad Thakri	(2001-07-21) 21 July 2001 (age 23)	3	0	Al-Qadsiah
	2DF	Mohammed Al-Dossari	(2001-04-01) 1 April 2001 (age 24)	0	0	Hajer
	3MF	Ahmed Al-Ghamdi	(2001-09-20) 20 September 2001 (age 23)	31	7	Al-Ittihad
	3MF	Ziyad Al-Johani	(2001-11-11) 11 November 2001 (age 23)	29	5	Al-Ahli
	3MF	Faisal Al-Ghamdi	(2001-08-13) 13 August 2001 (age 23)	22	1	Beerschot
	3MF	Awad Al-Nashri	(2002-03-15) 15 March 2002 (age 23)	21	0	Al-Ittihad
	3MF	Saad Al-Nasser	(2001-01-08) 8 January 2001 (age 24)	20	3	Al-Taawoun
	3MF	Ayman Yahya	(2001-05-14) 14 May 2001 (age 24)	12	4	Al-Nassr
	3MF	Saleh Aboulshamat	(2002-08-11) 11 August 2002 (age 22)	12	0	Al-Taawoun
	3MF	Abdulelah Hawsawi	(2001-06-02) 2 June 2001 (age 24)	3	0	Al-Khaleej
	3MF	Eid Al-Muwallad	(2001-12-14) 14 December 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Al-Okhdood
	4FW	Mohammed Maran	(2001-02-15) 15 February 2001 (age 24)	36	15	Al-Nassr
	4FW	Abdullah Radif	(2003-01-20) 20 January 2003 (age 22)	22	7	Al-Shabab
	4FW	Haitham Asiri	(2001-03-25) 25 March 2001 (age 24)	21	7	Al-Ahli

Team Achievements and Records

The Saudi Arabia U-23 team has a strong history in various tournaments. They have competed in the Olympic Games, the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, and other regional championships.

Olympic Games History

The team has played in the Summer Olympics football tournament a few times. This is a big event where countries from all over the world compete.

Summer Olympics Record
Year	Round	Position	Games Played	Wins	Draws*	Losses	Goals For	Goals Against	Squad
1908 to 1988	See Saudi Arabia senior team
1992	Did not qualify
1996	Group stage	15th	3	0	0	3	2	5	Squad
2000	Did not qualify
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020	Group stage	15th	3	0	0	3	4	8	Squad
2024	Did not qualify
2028	To be determined
2032
Total	Best: Group stage	2/8	6	0	0	6	6	13	—

*Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty kicks.

AFC U-23 Asian Cup Success

The team has done very well in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, even winning the championship once!

AFC U-23 Asian Cup Record										Qualification Record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2013	Runners-up	2nd	6	4	0	2	9	7		5	4	1	0	15	2
2016	Group Stage	12th	3	0	2	1	5	6		4	3	1	0	9	1
2018		13th	3	0	2	1	2	3		3	2	0	1	11	3
2020	Runners-up	2nd	6	4	1	1	5	2		3	2	1	0	9	1
2022	Champions	1st	6	5	1	0	13	0		2	1	0	1	4	2
2024	Quarter-finals	8th	4	2	0	2	10	6		3	3	0	0	12	2
2026	Qualified as host									Qualified as host
Total	Best: Champions	6/7	28	15	6	7	44	24		20	15	3	2	60	11

*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Islamic Solidarity Games Medals

The team has also competed in the Islamic Solidarity Games, winning a silver medal in 2021.

Football at the Islamic Solidarity Games Record
Year	Round	Position	Games Played	Wins	Draws	Losses	Goals For	Goals Against
2005	See Saudi Arabia national football team
2010	Cancelled
2013	Fourth place	4th	5	0	3	2	5	7
2017	Group stage	8th	3	0	0	3	0	6
2021	Silver Medal	2nd	5	4	0	1	8	2
Total	Best: Silver Medal	3/3	13	4	3	6	13	15

Asian Games Performance

The team has reached the Quarter-finals multiple times in the Asian Games.

Asian Games Record
Year	Round	Position	Games Played	Wins	Draws*	Losses	Goals For	Goals Against	Squad
1951 to 1998	See Saudi Arabia senior team
2002	Did not enter
2006
2010
2014	Quarter-finals	6th	5	3	0	2	9	6	Squad
2018		8th	5	2	1	2	8	8	Squad
2022		8th	5	3	1	1	9	3	Squad
Total	Best: Quarter-finals	3/6	15	8	2	5	26	17	-

*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Gulf Cup Under-23 Victories

The Saudi Arabia U-23 team has won the GCC U-23 Championship four times! This shows their strength in regional competitions.

GCC U-23 Championship Record
Year	Round	Position	Games Played	Wins	Draws*	Losses	Goals For	Goals Against
2008	Champions	1st	4	3	1	0	7	2
2010	Group Stage	5th	2	0	1	1	1	2
2011	Third Place	3rd	4	3	0	1	11	5
2012	Champions	1st	4	3	1	0	9	1
2013	Runners-up	2nd	4	3	0	1	6	3
2015	Champions	1st	4	2	1	1	11	8
2016	Champions	1st	4	4	0	0	10	1
Total	Best: 4 titles	7/7	26	18	4	4	55	22

*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

**Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won.

***Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

WAFF U-23 Championship Wins

The team has also won the WAFF U-23 Championship, showing their strength in West Asian football.

WAFF U-23 Championship Record
Year	Round	Position	Games Played	Wins	Draws*	Losses	Goals For	Goals Against
2015	Group Stage	5th	2	1	1	0	5	4
2021	Runners-up	2nd	4	3	0	1	7	3
2022	Champions	1st	4	3	0	1	8	4
2023	Did not participate
2024	Hosts
Total	Best: Champions	4/5	10	7	1	2	20	11

***Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

More About Saudi Arabian Football

• Sport in Saudi Arabia
  • Football in Saudi Arabia
    • Women's football in Saudi Arabia

• Saudi Arabia national football team
• Saudi Arabia national under-20 football team
• Saudi Arabia national under-17 football team
• Saudi Arabia women's national football team