Saudi Arabia national football team

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).

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)
Arabian 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)
Websitesaff.sa

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 at the 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

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Early history (1951–1955)

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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)

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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 saw no improvement in 2006 after winning only a single point against Arab rival Tunisia, and squandering 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 World Cup in agonizing playoffs that saw them again give up their 2–1 lead to a 2–2 draw to neighbor Bahrain.[15] In the 2011 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 World Cup, finishing behind Australia and Oman in the third round. 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)

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Saudi Arabia secured qualification for the 2018 World Cup, their first in 12 years,[17] ahead of Australia. In the first match of Group A and the tournament, 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 win their final group stage match against Red Sea neighbours Egypt 2–1, coming back from behind after a Mohamed Salah goal.[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 upset 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] In the next match against Poland, 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 missed opportunity by Salem Al-Dawsari as the Saudis could not capitalise from their domination, losing 2–0.[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 Mexican side, conceding two early second half goals by Henry Martín and Luis Chávez, the second being a thunderous midfield free kick; a late consolation goal by Salem Al-Dawsari was not enough as Saudi Arabia fell 2–1 and were eliminated after finishing last in Group C.[31]

Saudi Arabia, under new manager Roberto Mancini, entered the 2023 Asian Cup with a sense of bitter pride from their 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 neighbour Oman, where Abdulrahman Ghareeb scored from a solo before a late Ali Al-Bulaihi's header sealed the dramatic win.[32] They then achieved a 2–0 win over Kyrgyzstan, where the Saudis were dominant from beginning to end against a nine-man squad.[33] The Saudis rested most of their key players as they held Thailand in a goalless draw to advance and top the group, putting the Saudis against fellow Asian titan South Korea in the last sixteen.[34] Against South Korea, Abdullah Radif opened the scoring in the first minute of the second half, but after conceding a Cho Gue-sung header in the ninth minute of second-half stoppage time, the game was determined by a penalty shootout after 30 minutes of extra time, where the Saudis lost 4–2 on penalties and were eliminated.[35]

Kits and crests

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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

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

Rivalries

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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]

Outside the Middle East, the Saudis also have established rivalries with South Korea, Japan (including two Asian Cup finals) and most recently Australia.[citation needed]

Venues

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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

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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

2024

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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)
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)
19 November 2026 World Cup qualification R3 Indonesia   2–0   Saudi Arabia Jakarta, Indonesia
19:00 UTC+7
Stadium: Gelora Bung Karno Stadium
Referee: Rustam Lutfullin (Uzbekistan)
25 December 26th Arabian Gulf Cup Yemen     Saudi Arabia Sulaibikhat, Kuwait
17:25 Stadium: Sulaibikhat Stadium
28 December 26th Arabian Gulf Cup Iraq     Saudi Arabia Kuwait City, Kuwait
17:30 Stadium: Jaber International Stadium

Coaching staff

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

Coaching history

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

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Current squad

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The following 27 players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification games against   Australia and   Indonesia on 14 and 19 November 2024, respectively.[45]

Caps and goals are correct as of 19 November 2024, after the match against   Indonesia, 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) 8 0   Al-Qadsiah
1GK Mohammed Al-Rubaie (1997-08-14) 14 August 1997 (age 27) 7 0   Al-Hilal
1GK Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi (2001-02-03) 3 February 2001 (age 23) 0 0   Al-Ahli
1GK Hamed Al-Shanqiti (2005-04-26) 26 April 2005 (age 19) 0 0   Al-Ittihad

2DF Yasser Al-Shahrani (1992-03-25) 25 March 1992 (age 32) 81 2   Al-Hilal
2DF Ali Al-Bulaihi (1989-11-21) 21 November 1989 (age 35) 56 2   Al-Hilal
2DF Saud Abdulhamid (1999-07-18) 18 July 1999 (age 25) 41 1   Roma
2DF Hassan Al-Tambakti (1999-02-09) 9 February 1999 (age 25) 35 0   Al-Hilal
2DF Sultan Al-Ghannam (1994-05-06) 6 May 1994 (age 30) 34 0   Al-Nassr
2DF Ali Lajami (1996-04-24) 24 April 1996 (age 28) 15 1   Al-Nassr
2DF Awn Al-Saluli (1998-09-02) 2 September 1998 (age 26) 9 0   Al-Taawoun
2DF Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti (1999-03-12) 12 March 1999 (age 25) 2 0   Al-Ittihad

3MF Mohamed Kanno (1994-09-22) 22 September 1994 (age 30) 58 3   Al-Hilal
3MF Nasser Al-Dawsari (1998-12-19) 19 December 1998 (age 25) 26 0   Al-Hilal
3MF Abdullah Al-Khaibari (1996-08-16) 16 August 1996 (age 28) 26 0   Al-Nassr
3MF Faisal Al-Ghamdi (2001-08-13) 13 August 2001 (age 23) 12 1   Beerschot
3MF Musab Al-Juwayr (2003-06-20) 20 June 2003 (age 21) 11 3   Al-Shabab
3MF Mohammed Al-Qahtani (2002-07-23) 23 July 2002 (age 22) 4 0   Al-Hilal
3MF Marwan Al-Sahafi (2004-02-17) 17 February 2004 (age 20) 4 0   Beerschot
3MF Saad Al-Nasser (2001-01-08) 8 January 2001 (age 23) 3 0   Al-Taawoun

4FW Firas Al-Buraikan (2000-05-14) 14 May 2000 (age 24) 47 9   Al-Ahli
4FW Saleh Al-Shehri (1993-11-01) 1 November 1993 (age 31) 38 15   Al-Ittihad
4FW Abdullah Al-Hamdan (1999-09-13) 13 September 1999 (age 25) 32 5   Al-Hilal
4FW Abdullah Radif (2003-01-20) 20 January 2003 (age 21) 19 2   Al-Ettifaq
4FW Ayman Fallatah (2003-10-02) 2 October 2003 (age 21) 0 0   Damac

Recent call-ups

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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 Raghed Al-Najjar (1996-09-20) 20 September 1996 (age 28) 1 0   Al-Nassr v.   Bahrain, 15 October 2024
GK Mohammed Al-Owais (1991-10-10) 10 October 1991 (age 33) 58 0   Al-Hilal v.   China, 10 September 2024
GK Nawaf Al-Aqidi (2000-05-10) 10 May 2000 (age 24) 4 0   Al-Nassr 2023 AFC Asian Cup WD

DF Abdulelah Al-Amri (1997-01-15) 15 January 1997 (age 27) 28 1   Al-Ittihad v.   Australia, 14 November 2024INJ
DF Hassan Kadesh (1992-09-27) 27 September 1992 (age 32) 11 2   Al-Ittihad v.   Bahrain, 15 October 2024
DF Rayan Hamed (2002-04-13) 13 April 2002 (age 22) 3 0   Al-Ahli v.   Bahrain, 15 October 2024
DF Hussain Al-Sibyani (2001-06-24) 24 June 2001 (age 23) 1 0   Al-Shabab v.   Bahrain, 15 October 2024
DF Meshal Al-Sebyani (2001-04-11) 11 April 2001 (age 23) 2 0   Al-Ettifaq v.   Japan, 10 October 2024
DF Moteb Al-Harbi (2000-02-20) 20 February 2000 (age 24) 7 0   Al-Hilal v.   Indonesia, 5 September 2024
DF Mohammed Al-Breik (1992-09-15) 15 September 1992 (age 32) 46 1   Neom v.   Jordan, 11 June 2024
DF Mohammed Al-Fatil (1992-01-04) 4 January 1992 (age 32) 15 1   Al-Nassr v.   Tajikistan, 26 March 2024
DF Fawaz Al-Sqoor (1996-04-23) 23 April 1996 (age 28) 5 0   Al-Ittihad v.   Tajikistan, 26 March 2024
DF Waleed Al-Ahmed (1999-05-03) 3 May 1999 (age 25) 2 0   Al-Taawoun v.   Tajikistan, 21 March 2024 INJ

MF Salem Al-Dawsari (1991-08-19) 19 August 1991 (age 33) 90 23   Al-Hilal v.   Australia, 14 November 2024INJ
MF Salman Al-Faraj (1989-08-01) 1 August 1989 (age 35) 73 9   Neom v.   Australia, 14 November 2024INJ
MF Abdulellah Al-Malki (1994-10-11) 11 October 1994 (age 30) 36 0   Al-Ettifaq v.   Australia, 14 November 2024INJ
MF Abdulrahman Ghareeb (1997-03-31) 31 March 1997 (age 27) 31 3   Al-Nassr v.   Bahrain, 15 October 2024
MF Ayman Yahya (2001-05-14) 14 May 2001 (age 23) 13 0   Al-Nassr v.   Bahrain, 15 October 2024
MF Ali Al-Asmari (1997-01-12) 12 January 1997 (age 27) 5 0   Al-Ahli v.   Bahrain, 15 October 2024
MF Hamed Al-Ghamdi (1999-04-02) 2 April 1999 (age 25) 3 0   Al-Ittihad v.   Bahrain, 15 October 2024
MF Fahad Al-Muwallad (1994-09-14) 14 September 1994 (age 30) 80 17   Al-Shabab v.   China, 10 September 2024
MF Mukhtar Ali (1997-10-30) 30 October 1997 (age 27) 13 0   Al-Nassr v.   China, 10 September 2024
MF Abbas Al-Hassan (2004-02-22) 22 February 2004 (age 20) 4 0   Neom v.   Indonesia, 5 September 2024
MF Sami Al-Najei (1997-02-07) 7 February 1997 (age 27) 22 2   Al-Nassr v.   Jordan, 11 June 2024
MF Eid Al-Muwallad (2001-12-14) 14 December 2001 (age 22) 2 0   Al-Okhdood 2023 AFC Asian Cup
MF Ali Hazazi (1994-02-18) 18 February 1994 (age 30) 8 0   Al-Qadsiah 2023 AFC Asian Cup PRE
MF Khalid Al-Ghannam (2000-11-07) 7 November 2000 (age 24) 3 0   Al-Hilal 2023 AFC Asian Cup PRE

FW Mohammed Maran (2001-02-15) 15 February 2001 (age 23) 8 0   Al-Nassr v.   Bahrain, 15 October 2024
FW Talal Haji (2007-09-16) 16 September 2007 (age 17) 1 0   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

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

Most appearances

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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

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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

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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 1 1 1
Total 9 14 11

FIFA World Cup

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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
  1978 Did not qualify 4 1 0 3 3 7
  1982 10 4 1 5 9 16
  1986 2 0 1 1 0 1
  1990 9 4 3 2 11 9
  1994 Round of 16 12th 4 2 0 2 5 6 11 6 5 0 28 7
  1998 Group stage 28th 3 0 1 2 2 7 14 9 3 2 26 7
    2002 32nd 3 0 0 3 0 12 14 11 2 1 47 8
  2006 28th 3 0 1 2 2 7 12 10 2 0 24 2
  2010 Did not qualify 16 8 5 3 25 15
  2014 8 3 3 2 14 7
  2018 Group stage 26th 3 1 0 2 2 7 18 12 3 3 45 14
  2022 25th 3 1 0 2 3 5 18 13 4 1 34 10
      2026 Qualification in progress 8 5 2 1 15 5
      2030 TBD TBD
  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

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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
  1956 Not an AFC member Not an AFC member
  1960
  1964
  1968
  1972
  1976 Withdrew 6 3 1 2 12 5
  1980 Withdrew
  1984 Champions 1st 6 3 3 0 7 3 4 4 0 0 19 0
  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 4 4 0 0 10 0
  2000 Runners-up 2nd 6 3 1 2 11 8 Automatic qualification as champions
  2004 Group stage 13th 3 0 1 2 3 5 6 6 0 0 31 1
        2007 Runners-up 2nd 6 4 1 1 12 6 6 5 0 1 21 4
  2011 Group stage 15th 3 0 0 3 1 8 Automatic qualification as runners-up
  2015 10th 3 1 0 2 5 5 6 5 1 0 9 3
  2019 Round of 16 12th 4 2 0 2 6 3 8 6 2 0 28 4
  2023 9th 4 2 2 0 5 2 8 6 2 0 22 4
  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

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

West Asian Football Federation Championship

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WAFF Championship record
Year Round Pld W D L GF GA
  2000 Did not participate
  2002
  2004
  2007
  2008
  2010
  2012 Group stage 3 1 1 1 1 1
  2014 2 0 1 1 1 4
  2019 3 0 1 2 1 5
  2023 Qualified
Total 4/10 8 1 3 4 3 10

Arabian Gulf Cup

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

Arab Games

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Arab Games record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
  1953 Did not enter
  1957 Group stage 3 1 1 1 4 3
  1961 Fifth place 5 1 0 4 4 38
  1965 Did not enter
  1976 Runners-up 6 3 1 2 9 4
  1985 Fourth place 4 3 0 1 6 3
  1997 Did not enter
  1999 First round 2 0 1 1 2 3
  2007 Third place 4 1 1 2 5 5
  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

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Asian Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
  1951 Did not enter
  1954
  1958
  1962
  1966
  1970
  1974
  1978 Group stage 10th 3 0 2 1 3 4
  1982 Semi-finals Third place 6 3 2 1 7 4
  1986 Final Runners-up 6 3 2 1 9 6
  1990 Quarter-finals 5th 3 2 1 0 6 0
  1994 Quarter-finals 5th 5 3 0 2 9 10
  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

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FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
  1992 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 0 1 4 3
  1995 Group stage 5th 2 0 0 2 0 4
  1997 7th 3 1 0 2 1 8
  1999 Fourth place 4th 5 1 1 3 8 16
    2001 Did not qualify
  2003
  2005
  2009
  2013
  2017
Total Runners-up 4/10 12 3 1 8 13 31

All-time results

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The following table shows Saudi Arabia's all-time international record, correct as of 19 November 2024.

Against Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD
Total 735 344 167 214 1099 773 +326

Honours

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Major competitions

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Worldwide

Intercontinental

Continental

Regional

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Other titles

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Summary

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Competition       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 1 1 1 2
Total 9 16 11 35

Titles

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AFC Asian Cup

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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

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

Arabian Gulf Cup

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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

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