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Yemen national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Yemen women's national football team.
For the team representing the former South Yemen, see South Yemen national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Yemen
Nickname(s) Al-Yaman as-Sa'eed
(اليمن السعيد, The Happy Yemen)
Association Yemen Football Association
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation WAFF (West Asia)
Head coach Noureddine Ould Ali
Captain Abdulwasea Al-Matari
Most caps Alaa Al-Sasi (84)
Top scorer Ali Al-Nono (30)
Home stadium Althawra Sports City Stadium
FIFA code YEM
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 143 Decrease 8 (7 February 2019)
Highest 90 (August – September 1993, November 1993)
Lowest 186 (February 2014)
Elo ranking
Current 168 Decrease 2 (3 March 2019)
Highest 117 (7 November 2010)
Lowest 169 (September 2015)
First international
 Syria 4–1 North Yemen 
(Baghdad, Iraq; 2 April 1966)
as Yemen
 Malaysia 0–1 Yemen 
(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 8 September 1990)
Biggest win
 North Yemen 2–1 United Arab Emirates 
(Casablanca, Morocco; 11 August 1985)
 North Yemen 1–0 India 
(Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 11 February 1988)
as Yemen
 Yemen 11–2 Bhutan 
(Kuwait City, Kuwait; 18 February 2000)
Biggest defeat
 North Korea 14–0 Yemen 
(Phnom Penh, Cambodia; 30 November 1966)
as Yemen
 Saudi Arabia 7–0 Yemen 
(Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 6 October 2003)
Asian Cup
Appearances 1 (first in 2019)
Best result Group stage (2019)
WAFF Championship
Appearances 3 (first in 2010)
Best result Semi-finals (2010)

The Yemen national football team (Arabic: منتخب الْيَمَن الْوَطَنِيُّ لِكُرَّةُ الْقَدَم) is the official football team for Yemen. It represents the country in international men's football games. The team is managed by the Yemen Football Association.

Before 1990, Yemen was split into two countries: North Yemen and South Yemen. Each had its own national football team. When the two parts of Yemen joined together, the new Yemeni national team took over the records of the North Yemen team.

Even though Yemen has a large population in the Middle East, its football team has not had as much success as some smaller countries. So far, they have only played in the AFC Asian Cup once since 1990.

Team History

Early Years (1965–1966)

Football in Yemen began with a team from the Sultanate of Lahej in 1965. They played in the 1965 Arab Games in Cairo, Egypt. They lost both their games, including a big 16–1 loss to Libya. Around the same time, the North Yemen team played its first games. They beat Oman 2–1 but lost to Syria.

In April 1966, North Yemen joined the 1966 Arab Cup in Baghdad, Iraq. They lost all their matches, including a tough 13–0 defeat to Libya. Later that year, they also lost a game in Cambodia.

Return to Play (1984–1989)

After 1966, North Yemen did not play for 18 years. They returned in 1984 to try and qualify for the 1984 AFC Asian Cup. This was their first time trying to enter this competition. They played matches in Calcutta, India, but lost all four games. This included a 6–0 loss to South Korea.

In 1985, North Yemen tried to qualify for the 1986 FIFA World Cup for the first time. They played against Syria and Kuwait but lost all their games. They scored only one goal in this campaign.

Later in 1985, North Yemen played in the 1985 Arab Games in Rabat, Morocco. They made history by winning their first-ever game, beating the UAE 2–1. They also played their first friendly match against a team from outside Asia or Africa, losing 2–0 to Mexico.

A Unified Team (1990s)

In 1990, North and South Yemen became one country. This meant their football teams also merged into the new Yemen national team. To show they were united, the team's captains would take turns leading the team in different matches.

Their first big challenge as a unified team was trying to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in 1993. Yemen played 8 games, winning two, drawing two, and losing three. They finished third in their group, which was not enough to qualify.

For the 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification, Yemen struggled, losing heavily to Saudi Arabia. Their only win was a close 1–0 victory against Kyrgyzstan.

The team showed some improvement during the 1998 World Cup qualifiers. They finished second in their group, above Indonesia and Cambodia. This gave fans hope for the future.

The 2000s

Yemen started the new millennium by trying to qualify for the 2000 AFC Asian Cup. They had a big 11–2 win against Bhutan, which was their largest win ever. However, they finished third in their group and did not qualify.

In 2001, Yemen almost made it to the second round of the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. They finished with the same points as India but just one point behind the UAE, who qualified.

The team also played in the 2002 Arab Cup, their first appearance since 1966. They drew 2–2 with Saudi Arabia but lost their other games.

Yemen continued to struggle in the Gulf Cup tournaments during this decade. They often finished last or near the bottom of their groups. For example, in the 16th Arabian Gulf Cup and 17th Arabian Gulf Cup, they failed to win any matches.

In the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, Yemen finished last in their group. They managed one win, two draws, and three losses. They also did not qualify for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.

The 2010s

In the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, Yemen beat Maldives in the first round. However, they were knocked out by Thailand in the second round. This was the first time Yemen did not reach the group stages of a World Cup qualification.

Yemen hosted the 20th Arabian Gulf Cup for the first time in 2010. They played in Aden but lost all their group matches.

For the 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification, Yemen won two games and drew one. They played tough matches against strong teams like Japan.

In 2013, Yemen had their worst performance in the 21st Arabian Gulf Cup. They lost all three games without scoring any goals. The team also had a tough time in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, losing to Iraq. Due to civil unrest in Yemen, their home game was played in the United Arab Emirates.

In December 2013, Yemen's ranking in the FIFA World Rankings dropped to its lowest ever, 179th. This led to changes in coaching, but the team's ranking continued to fall, reaching 186th.

Debut at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup

IRN-YMN 20190107 Asian Cup 12
Yemeni players before a 2019 AFC Asian Cup match against Iran

The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification happened during a civil war in Yemen. Many players and staff had to leave the country. Despite these challenges, Yemen managed to beat Pakistan and the Philippines.

The team made history by qualifying for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup for the first time as a unified nation. They beat Tajikistan and drew with Nepal and the Philippines. Their qualification was confirmed when the Philippines beat Tajikistan.

In the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, Yemen was in Group D with Iraq, Iran, and Vietnam. They lost all three matches, including a 5–0 defeat to Iran. They finished last in their group without scoring any goals or earning any points.

Yemen also played in the 2019 WAFF Championship, finishing third in their group. They drew with Syria and beat Lebanon. However, they struggled again in the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup, losing most games but earning a goalless draw against Iraq.

The 2020s

In the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round, Yemen showed some good moments. They drew 2–2 with Singapore and, importantly, with strong team Saudi Arabia. They even beat Palestine 1–0. However, they later lost momentum and did not qualify.

In the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC first round, Yemen played their home games in Saudi Arabia because of the ongoing civil war. On October 12, 2023, Yemen secured a good 3–0 win over Sri Lanka.

Results and Fixtures

Main articles: North Yemen national football team results and Yemen national football team results

Here are the results from the last 12 months and any upcoming games.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023 Matches

2024 Matches

Coaching History

Caretaker managers are listed in italics
  • United Arab Republic Zaki Osman (1970)
  • England Alan Gillett (1977)
  • Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic Timur Segizbayev (1979–1982)
  • Yemen Arab Republic Dr. Azzam Khalifa 1 (1989–1990)
  • Brazil Luciano de Abreu (1993–1994)
  • Yemen Ali Saleh Abad (1996)
  • Yemen Omar Bashami (1996)
  • Yemen Mojahed Al Saraha (1997)
  • Iraq Hazem Jassam (1997)
  • Yemen Salem Abdel Rahman (1997)
  • Iraq Hazem Jassam (1997–1999)
  • Brazil Roberto Fernandes (1999)
  • Serbia and Montenegro Zoran Đorđević (1999–2000)
  • Brazil Luciano de Abreu (2000–2002)
  • Egypt Mahmoud Abou-Regaila (2002)
  • Germany Torsten Spittler 2 (2002)
  • Yemen Abdullah Saqr Baamer 3 (2002)
  • Iraq Hazem Jassam (2002–2003)
  • Yemen Ahmed Ali Qasem (2003)
  • Serbia and Montenegro Milan Živadinović (2003–2004)
  • Yemen Amine Al-Sunaini (2004)
  • Algeria Rabah Saâdane (2004–2005)
  • Yemen Ahmed Alraay (2006)
  • Egypt Mohsen Saleh (2006–2009)
  • Yemen Hamza Al Jamal (2009)
  • Yemen Sami Hasan Al Nash (2009)
  • Croatia Srećko Juričić (2009–2010)
  • Yemen Amine Al-Sunaini (2010–2012)
  • Yemen Sami Hasan Al Nash (2012)
  • Belgium Tom Saintfiet (2012–2013)
  • Yemen Sami Hasan Al Nash (2013)
  • Serbia Vladimir Petrović (2013–2014)
  • Czech Republic Miroslav Soukup (2014–2015)
  • Yemen Amine Al-Sunaini (2015–2016)
  • Yemen Ahmed Ali Qasem (2016)
  • Ethiopia Abraham Mebratu (2016–2018)
  • Slovakia Ján Kocian (2018–2019)
  • Yemen Sami Hasan Al Nash (2019–2021)
  • Yemen Ahmed Ali Qasem (2021)
  • Croatia Nenad Nikolić (2021–2022)
  • Yemen Amin Al-Sanini (2022)
  • Algeria Adel Amrouche (2022)
  • Czech Republic Miroslav Soukup (2022–2024)
  • Algeria Noureddine Ould Ali (2024–present)
Notes
  • Dr. Azzam Khalifa was the first coach of the unified Yemen football team.
  • Torsten Spittler, a youth team coach, was chosen to lead the team at the 2002 Arab Cup. But after one friendly game, the football association changed its mind and picked Hazem Jassam instead.
  • Abdullah Saqr Baamer was a temporary coach during the 2002 Arab Cup. The main coach, Hazem Jassam, could not get a visa to enter Kuwait, where the tournament was held.

Players

Current Squad

These 23 players were chosen for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches in June 2024.

Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of June 12, 2024, after the match against    Nepal.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Mohamed Aman Fateh (1997-04-14) 14 April 1997 (age 28) 8 0 Yemen Al-Shaab Hadramaut
22 1GK Ali Fadl Abs (2000-01-01) 1 January 2000 (age 25) 1 0 Yemen Al-Tadamun
23 1GK Abdullah Al-Saadi (2002-04-23) 23 April 2002 (age 23) 5 0 Yemen Al-Tilal
2 2DF Emad Al-Judaima (2003-03-11) 11 March 2003 (age 22) 4 0 Yemen Al-Wehda
3 2DF Harwan Al-Zubaidi (1999-10-15) 15 October 1999 (age 25) 9 0 Bahrain Al-Hala
4 2DF Hamza Al-Rimi (2002-02-12) 12 February 2002 (age 23) 12 0 Bahrain Isa Town
5 2DF Jacob Gouriyé (1991-01-04) 4 January 1991 (age 34) 0 0 Yemen Al-Wehda
16 2DF Al-Khedr Al-Douh (2004-11-01) 1 November 2004 (age 20) 6 0 Yemen Fahman
17 2DF Mufeed Gamal (1999-01-01) 1 January 1999 (age 26) 16 0 Yemen Al Yarmuk Al Rawda
19 2DF Radhawan Al-Hubaishi (1993-07-03) 3 July 1993 (age 31) 3 0 Yemen Al-Wehda
7 3MF Nasser Al-Gahwashi (1999-05-24) 24 May 1999 (age 26) 27 3 Bahrain Al-Muharraq
8 3MF Anes Al-Maari (2000-01-09) 9 January 2000 (age 25) 12 0 Oman Bahla Club
12 3MF Abdul Majeed Sabarah (1999-01-01) 1 January 1999 (age 26) 7 0 Yemen Al-Wehda
13 3MF Mohamed Hashem AlNajar (1997-01-01) 1 January 1997 (age 28) 2 0 Yemen Al-Wehda
14 3MF Mohammed Al-Tiri (1999-01-01) 1 January 1999 (age 26) 10 0 Yemen Al-Wehda
15 3MF Osama Anbar (1995-01-20) 20 January 1995 (age 30) 10 0 Bahrain Al-Malkiya
9 4FW Jacob Gouriyé (1999-12-15) 15 December 1999 (age 25) 27 4 Bahrain Al-Najma
10 4FW Mohammed Al-Dahi (1996-04-03) 3 April 1996 (age 29) 12 2 Iraq Al-Karma
11 4FW Abdulwasea Al-Matari (captain) (1994-07-04) 4 July 1994 (age 30) 63 11 Bahrain Sitra
18 4FW Abdulaziz Masnoom (2007-01-01) 1 January 2007 (age 18) 1 0 Yemen Al-Tadamun
20 4FW Hamzah Mahross (2004-05-05) 5 May 2004 (age 21) 6 0 Yemen Al-Ahli Taizz
21 4FW Kassem Al-Sharafi (2004-10-15) 15 October 2004 (age 20) 1 0 Yemen Al-Wehda

Former Squads

  • 2012 Arab Cup squads
  • 2019 AFC Asian Cup squads

Team Records

Players in bold are still playing for Yemen.

Most Appearances

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Alaa Al-Sasi 84 11 2006–2019
2 Salem Saeed 79 0 2003–2019
3 Akram Al-Worafi 72 6 2004–2017
4 Ali Al-Nono 65 30 2000–2010
Mudir Al-Radaei 65 1 2012–2023
6 Abdulwasea Al-Matari 63 11 2013–present
7 Mohammed Fuad Omar 55 1 2012–2019
8 Mohammed Boqshan 54 1 2012–2021
9 Ahmed Al-Sarori 50 2 2015–present
10 Mohammad Ayash 44 0 2010–2021

Top Goalscorers

Rank Name Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Ali Al-Nono 30 65 0.46 2000–2010
2 Adel Al-Salimi 15 25 0.6 2000–2004
3 Abdulwasea Al-Matari 11 63 0.17 2013–present
Alaa Al-Sasi 11 84 0.13 2006–2019
5 Nashwan Al-Haggam 7 19 0.37 2002–2007
Yaser Ba Suhai 7 38 0.18 2003–2015
7 Ali Awad Al-Omqi 6 40 0.15 2001–2009
Akram Al-Worafi 6 72 0.08 2004–2017
9 Omar Al-Ariki 5 7 0.71 1996–1997
Abdulsalam Al Ghurbani 5 9 0.56 2000–2009

Competitive Record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
as  Yemen
Uruguay 1930 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958
Chile 1962
as  North Yemen
England 1966 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982 Did not enter Did not enter
Mexico 1986 Did not qualify 4 0 0 4 1 12
Italy 1990 4 0 0 4 0 5
as  Yemen
United States 1994 Did not qualify 8 3 2 3 12 13
France 1998 6 2 2 2 10 7
South Korea Japan 2002 6 3 2 1 8 6
Germany 2006 6 1 2 3 6 11
South Africa 2010 4 1 1 2 4 4
Brazil 2014 2 0 1 1 0 2
Russia 2018 10 2 1 7 5 18
Qatar 2022 8 1 2 5 6 18
Canada Mexico United States 2026 8 2 3 3 9 10
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total – 0/12 – – – – – – 66 15 16 35 61 106

AFC Asian Cup

Main article: Yemen at the AFC Asian Cup
AFC Asian Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
as  Yemen
Hong Kong 1956 Not an AFC member Not an AFC member
South Korea 1960
as  North Yemen
Israel 1964 Not an AFC member Not an AFC member
Iran 1968
Thailand 1972
Iran 1976
Kuwait 1980
Singapore 1984 Did not qualify 4 0 0 4 2 18
Qatar 1988 5 1 3 1 5 5
as  Yemen
Japan 1992 Did not enter Did not enter
United Arab Emirates 1996 Did not qualify 4 1 0 3 2 8
Lebanon 2000 4 2 0 2 14 5
China 2004 6 2 1 3 15 15
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007 6 2 0 4 5 13
Qatar 2011 6 2 1 3 7 9
Australia 2015 6 0 0 6 3 18
United Arab Emirates 2019 Group stage 23rd 3 0 0 3 0 10 Squad 18 6 5 7 16 23
Qatar 2023 Did not qualify 11 1 3 7 6 25
Saudi Arabia 2027 To be determined To be determined
Total Group stage 1/18 3 0 0 3 0 10 — 65 16 11 38 69 128

Asian Games

Asian Games record
Year Position Pld W D L GF GA
1951 to 1978 Did not participate
India 1982 Withdrew
South Korea 1986 Did not participate
China 1990 Group stage 3 0 2 1 0 2
Japan 1994 Group stage 4 0 0 4 0 14
Thailand 1998 Did not participate
2002 to present See Yemen national under-23 football team
Total 2/13 7 0 2 5 0 16

Gulf Cup

Gulf Cup record
Year Position Pld W D L GF GA
Kuwait 2003 Seventh place 6 0 1 5 2 18
Qatar 2004 Group stage 3 0 1 2 2 7
United Arab Emirates 2007 Group stage 3 0 1 2 3 5
Oman 2009 Group stage 3 0 0 3 2 11
Yemen 2010 Group stage 3 0 0 3 1 9
Bahrain 2013 Group stage 3 0 0 3 0 6
Saudi Arabia 2014 Group stage 3 0 2 1 0 1
Kuwait 2017 Group stage 3 0 0 3 0 8
Qatar 2019 Group stage 3 0 1 2 0 9
Iraq 2023 Group stage 3 0 0 3 2 10
Total 10/25 33 0 6 27 12 84

Arab Cup

FIFA Arab Cup record
Year Position Pld W D L GF GA
Lebanon 1963 Did not enter
Kuwait 1964
Iraq 1966 Group stage 3 0 0 3 1 24
Saudi Arabia 1985 Did not enter
Jordan 1988
Syria 1992
Qatar 1998 Withdrew
Kuwait 2002 Group stage 4 0 1 3 5 13
Saudi Arabia 2012 Group stage 3 1 0 2 3 7
Qatar 2021 Did not qualify
Total 3/10 10 1 1 8 9 44

Arab Games

Arab Games record
Year Position Pld W D L GF GA
Egypt 1953 Did not enter
Lebanon 1957
Morocco 1961
United Arab Republic 1965
Syria 1976
Morocco 1985 Group stage 3 1 0 2 3 6
Lebanon 1997 Did not enter
Jordan 1999
Egypt 2007
Qatar 2011
Total 1/10 3 1 0 2 3 6

WAFF Championship

WAFF Championship record
Year Position Pld W D L GF GA
Jordan 2000 Did not enter
Syria 2002
Iran 2004
Jordan 2007
Iran 2008
Jordan 2010 Semi-finals 3 1 1 1 5 4
Kuwait 2012 Group stage 3 0 0 3 1 4
Qatar 2014 Withdrew
Iraq 2019 Group stage 4 1 1 2 4 5
Total 3/9 10 2 2 6 10 13

Palestine Cup of Nations

Main article: Palestine Cup of Nations

Head-to-head Record

Main article: Yemen national football team records and statistics

See Also

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

  • Yemen national football team results
  • Yemen national under-23 football team
  • Yemen national under-20 football team
  • Yemen national under-17 football team
  • North Yemen national football team
  • South Yemen national football team
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