Saudi Arabia
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)الأخضر (al-'Akhḍar, "The Green")
الصقور الخضر (as-Suqūr al-Khoḍur, "Green Falcons")
الصقور العربية (as-Suqūr Al-‘Arabiyyah, "Arabian Falcons")
AssociationSaudi Arabian Football Federation
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationWAFF (West Asia)
Head coachRoberto Mancini
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 56 Steady (21 December 2023)[3]
Highest21 (July 2004)
Lowest126 (December 2012)
First international
 Lebanon 1–1 Saudi Arabia 
(Beirut, Lebanon; 18 January 1957)
Biggest win
 Timor-Leste 0–10 Saudi Arabia 
(Dili, Timor-Leste; 17 November 2015)
Biggest defeat
 United Arab Republic 13–0 Saudi Arabia 
(Casablanca, Morocco; 3 September 1961)
World Cup
Appearances6 (first in 1994)
Best resultRound of 16 (1994)
Asian Cup
Appearances10 (first in 1984)
Best resultChampions (1984, 1988, 1996)
Arab Cup
Appearances7 (first in 1985)
Best resultChampions (1998, 2002)
Arabian Gulf Cup
Appearances24 (first in 1970)
Best resultChampions (1994, 2002, 2003–04)
WAFF Championship
Appearances3 (first in 2012)
Best resultGroup stage (2012, 2014, 2019)
FIFA Confederations Cup
Appearances4 (first in 1992)
Best resultRunners-up (1992)
Websitesaff.sa

The Saudi Arabia national football team (Arabic: المنتخب السُّعُودِيّ لِكُرَّةُ الْقَدَم) represents Saudi Arabia in men's international football. They are known as 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).

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 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.

During the 2022 FIFA 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 in a FIFA World Cup. However, Saudi Arabia then lost the following matches against Poland and Mexico, and were knocked out 4th in the group stage of the World Cup.

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.[4] They will also host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

History

Early history (1951–1955)

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.[5]

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.[6]

Debuting successes and subsequent declines (1956–2016)

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, and became the champions for the first time.[7] Since then, they reached the next four consecutive Asian Cup finals, winning two of them (1988 and 1996).[8][9] They have qualified for every AFC Asian Cup since, reaching the final in the 2007 edition.[10]

Saudi Arabia national football team in 1984

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.[11] 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 gained, which happened against South Africa after Saudi Arabia squandered their original 2–1 lead while losing two earlier fixtures against Denmark and eventual champions and hosts France, while 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 did no better in 2006 after winning only a single point against Arab rival Tunisia, and also squandered a 2–1 lead in the last minutes before losing to Ukraine and Spain in an identical version to the 1998 participation.[12]

Meanwhile, after the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, Saudi Arabia suffered even further setbacks. The Saudis failed to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in agonizing playoffs that saw them again squandered their 2–1 lead to a 2–2 draw to neighbor Bahrain.[13] In the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, the Saudis went on to have the worst-ever Asian Cup performance in the history, losing all three games in a shocking style to Syria, Jordan and Japan.[14] Later on, Saudi Arabia failed to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, failing in the third round to Australia and Oman. 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, and only gained a single win over North Korea.

Revival, history written, but fall short (2017–present)

Saudi Arabia secured qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, their first in 12 years,[15] ahead of Australia. In the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening match, Saudi Arabia face hosts Russia as the Russian annihilated them in the opening match 5–0,[16] making this the second largest victory of any host.[17] Saudi Arabia then lost 1–0 to a Luis Suárez goal that put Uruguay as the eventual group winners.[18] Although they were already eliminated,[19] Saudi Arabia managed to salvage some pride by winning their final group stage match against Red Sea neighbours Egypt.[20]

After the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Saudi Arabia participated in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, held in the United Arab Emirates; the team finished second in the group stage, after falling to Qatar in the final game,[21] 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.[22]

Saudi Arabia facing China in the 1984 AFC Asian Cup.

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.[23] The game ended in a scoreless draw.[24]

Saudi Arabia against Egypt in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

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.[25] In the opening game of their group, they defeated a much fancied Argentina side 2–1 within just five minutes in the early of the second half with goals from Saleh Al-Shehri and the beautiful curl of Salem Al-Dawsari, ending an Argentine unbeaten streak of 36 games dating back to 2019. The Saudi King declared a Holiday after the win over Argentina and Saudi fans celebrated with mocking words against Lionel Messi, Argentine team and the other opponents.[26][27] They then lost their next match against Poland, 2–0. Piotr Zieliński broke Saudi hearts with a goal in 39th minute; Salem Al-Dawsari's penalty was saved by Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny in the first half when the score was 1–0 while Abdulellah Al-Malki made a mistake to allow Robert Lewandowski to score his first World Cup goal.[28] This made Saudi require a win against Mexico to advance to the Round of 16 regardless of the Argentina-Poland result. Facing a team that was also playing its qualification in this last game in the same Lusail Iconic Stadium, Saudi Arabia opted to play all-out attack by fielding three strikers in front, but this proved fatal as the Saudis failed to repeat their inaugural achievement and ended up losing the match 2–1 after goals from Henry Martín and Luis Chávez, conceding both goals in just a similar five minutes span (the same span Saudi Arabia shocked Argentina) in the second half.[29] As a result, Saudi Arabia finished bottom in their group and were eliminated from the 2022 World Cup in the group stages at the despair of Saudi fans, as Saudi Arabia's knockout stage waiting hurt extended to 32 years since their only successful qualification in 1994. Moreover, the defeat also nailed the coffin to West Asian football, as all three representatives from West Asia in the first World Cup in the region (Qatar, Iran, Saudi Arabia) were all eliminated. Still, as Argentina subsequently walked on to eventually claim the 2022 FIFA World Cup title, the shock win Saudi Arabia gained against Argentina, the only team of the tournament to have beaten the Albiceleste, was a major consolation for the country's early World Cup exit.

Kits and crests

Traditionally, Saudi Arabia's home kit is white with green trim, and the away kit is green with white trim (flag colors).[30] From 2023, the team had a color kit reversal where green is the home kit, and white is their away kit.

Kit suppliers

Kit supplier Period
United Kingdom Admiral 1976–1979
West Germany Puma 1980–1984
Saudi Arabia Faisok 1985–1989
Germany Adidas 1990–1993
Saudi Arabia Shammel 1994–2000
Germany Adidas 2001–2003
France Le Coq Sportif 2004–2005
Germany Puma 2006–2010
United States Nike[31] 2011–2022
Germany Adidas[32] 2023–present

Rivalries

Saudi Arabia's main rivals are mostly from the same 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. 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.[33][34]

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.[35] 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.[36][37]

Outside the West Asian border, Saudi Arabia also has other rivalries with fellow Asian powerhouses like Japan, Australia, and South Korea; as well as having rivalries with Arab opponents of North Africa, mostly Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia.

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 in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023

24 March 2023 Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–2  Venezuela Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
22:00 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium
Attendance: 4,960
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
28 March 2023 Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–2  Bolivia Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
22:00 UTC+3 Report Stadium: Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium
Attendance: 7,194
Referee: Ahmed Issa (United Arab Emirates)
8 September 2023 Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–3  Costa Rica Newcastle upon Tyne, England
20:00 UTC+1 Report
Stadium: St James' Park
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: John Brooks (England)
12 September 2023 Friendly Saudi Arabia  0–1  South Korea Newcastle upon Tyne, England
17:30 UTC+1 Report Stadium: St James' Park
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Andrew Madley (England)
13 October 2023 Friendly Saudi Arabia  2–2  Nigeria Portimão, Portugal
17:00 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Estádio Municipal de Portimão
Referee: Luís Godinho (Portugal)
17 October 2023 Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–3  Mali Portimão, Portugal
16:00 UTC+1 Report Stadium: Estádio Municipal de Portimão
Referee: António Nobre (Portugal)
16 November 2026 WC qualification Saudi Arabia  4–0  Pakistan Hofuf, Saudi Arabia
19:30 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Al-Fateh Club Stadium
Attendance: 11,150
Referee: Hanna Hattab (Syria)
21 November 2026 WC qualification Jordan  0–2  Saudi Arabia Amman, Jordan
19:00 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Amman International Stadium
Attendance: 13,845
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

2024

4 January Unofficial Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–0  Lebanon Al Wakrah, Qatar
16:30 UTC+3 Stadium: Al Janoub Stadium
Attendance: 0
9 January 2024 Unofficial Friendly Palestine  0–0  Saudi Arabia Doha, Qatar
18:30 UTC+3 Report
Report (SAFF)
Stadium: Al Janoub Stadium
Attendance: 0
10 January 2024 Unofficial Friendly Saudi Arabia  2–0  Hong Kong Al Wakrah, Qatar
18:30 UTC+3
Stadium: Al Janoub Stadium

Coaching staff

As of 28 August 2023
Position Name Ref.
Head coach Italy Roberto Mancini [38]
Assistant coaches Italy Attilio Lombardo [39]
Italy Fausto Salsano [39]
Italy Antonio Gagliardi [39]
Ivory Coast Yaya Touré [39]
Italy Simone Contran [39]
Goalkeeping coach Italy Massimo Battara [39]
Italy Marco Roccati [39]
Trainer Italy Andrea Scanavino [39]
Italy Claudio Donatelli [39]
Scout Italy Giorgio Venturin [39]
Technical director France Morocco Nasser Larguet [39]

Coaching history

Coach Nat First match Last match Pld W D L Win %
1 Abdulrahman Fawzi Egypt 18 October 19576 September 1961 6 1 1 4 16.67%
2 Ali Chaouach Tunisia 1 December 196717 January 1969 2 1 0 1 50.00%
3 George Skinner England 28 March 19702 April 1970 3 0 2 1 0.00%
4 Taha Ismail Egypt 16 March 197228 March 1972 3 2 1 0 66.67%
5 Abdo Saleh El Wahsh Egypt 6 March 197429 March 1974 6 4 1 1 66.67%
6 Ferenc Puskás Hungary 21 November 197511 April 1976 16 5 1 10 31.25%
7 Bill McGarry England 5 September 197622 April 1977 12 3 2 7 25.00%
8 Ronnie Allen England 15 November 197814 December 1978 4 0 3 1 0.00%
9 David Woodfield England 24 March 19798 April 1979 6 3 2 1 50.00%
10 Rubens Minelli Brazil 30 January 198019 December 1981 22 9 3 10 40.91%
11 Mário Zagallo Brazil 21 March 198217 March 1984 17 7 5 5 41.18%
12 Khalil Ibrahim Al-Zayani Saudi Arabia 20 March 19845 April 1986 39 19 9 11 48.72%
13 Carlos Castilho Brazil 7 September 19865 October 1986 7 4 2 1 57.14%
14 Omar Borrás Uruguay 17 February 198818 March 1988 7 2 4 1 28.57%
15 Carlos Alberto Parreira (1) Brazil 21 April 198828 October 1989 26 10 9 7 38.46%
16 Paulo Massa Brazil 24 September 19901 October 1990 3 2 1 0 66.67%
17 Nelsinho Rosa Brazil 11 September 199210 December 1992 14 7 3 4 50.00%
18 Candinho Brazil 9 April 199324 October 1993 19 12 5 2 63.16%
19 Mohammed Al-Kharashy (1) Saudi Arabia 28 October 199328 October 1993 1 1 0 0 100.00%
20 Leo Beenhakker Netherlands 23 January 19949 February 1994 4 1 2 1 25.00%
21 Jorge Solari Argentina 26 March 19943 July 1994 12 4 2 6 33.33%
22 Ivo Wortmann Brazil 1 October 199413 October 1994 5 3 0 2 60.00%
23 Mohammed Al-Kharashy (2) Saudi Arabia 19 October 19948 January 1995 11 6 1 4 54.54%
24 Zé Mário Brazil 8 October 199527 October 1996 20 9 5 6 45.00%
25 Nelo Vingada Portugal 6 November 199611 October 1997 25 16 6 3 64.00%
26 Otto Pfister (1) Germany 17 October 199716 December 1997 8 3 2 3 37.50%
27 Carlos Alberto Parreira (2) Brazil 22 February 199818 June 1998 10 2 4 4 20.00%
28 Mohammed Al-Kharashy (3) Saudi Arabia 24 June 199824 June 1998 1 0 1 0 0.00%
29 Otto Pfister (2) Germany 11 September 199811 November 1998 11 9 2 0 81.81%
30 Milan Máčala Czech Republic 18 June 199914 October 2000 26 11 6 9 42.31%
31 Nasser Al-Johar (1) Saudi Arabia 17 October 200019 February 2001 13 11 1 1 84.61%
32 Slobodan Santrač Serbia and Montenegro 10 July 200124 August 2001 7 3 2 2 42.86%
33 Nasser Al-Johar (2) Saudi Arabia 31 August 200111 June 2002 23 13 2 8 56.52%
34 Gerard van der Lem Netherlands 17 December 200226 July 2004 26 17 6 3 65.38%
35 Martin Koopman Netherlands 30 December 200230 December 2002 1 1 0 0 100.00%
36 Nasser Al-Johar (3) Saudi Arabia 1 September 200417 November 2004 5 3 2 0 60.00%
37 Gabriel Calderón Argentina 11 December 20048 December 2005 19 8 4 7 42.11%
38 Marcos Paquetá Brazil 18 January 200627 January 2007 30 13 7 10 43.33%
39 Hélio dos Anjos Brazil 24 June 20077 June 2008 22 15 3 4 68.18%
40 Nasser Al-Johar (4) Saudi Arabia 14 June 200811 February 2009 18 10 5 3 55.55%
41 José Peseiro Portugal 22 March 20099 January 2011 31 12 12 7 38.71%
42 Nasser Al-Johar (5) Saudi Arabia 13 January 201117 January 2011 2 0 0 2 0.00%
43 Rogério Lourenço Brazil 13 July 201128 July 2011 4 2 1 1 50.00%
44 Frank Rijkaard Netherlands 2 September 201112 January 2013 17 4 6 7 23.53%
45 Khalid Al-Koroni Saudi Arabia 9 December 201215 December 2012 3 1 1 1 33.33%
46 Juan Ramón López Caro Spain 6 February 201326 November 2014 19 9 4 6 47.37%
47 Cosmin Olăroiu Romania 30 December 201418 January 2015 4 1 0 3 25.00%
48 Faisal Al Baden Saudi Arabia 30 March 201511 June 2015 2 2 0 0 100.00%
49 Bert van Marwijk Netherlands 3 September 20159 November 2017 20 13 4 3 65.00%
50 Edgardo Bauza Argentina 10 November 201713 November 2017 2 0 0 2 0.00%
51 Krunoslav Jurčić Croatia 22 December 201728 December 2017 3 1 1 1 33.33%
52 Juan Antonio Pizzi Spain
Argentina
26 February 201821 January 2019 22 7 5 10 31.82%
53 Youssef Anbar Saudi Arabia 21 March 201925 March 2019 2 1 0 1 50.00%
54 Hervé Renard France 5 September 201928 March 2023 46 18 12 16 39.13%
55 Laurent Bonadéi[lower-alpha 1] France 1 December 20217 December 2021 3 0 1 2 0.00%
56 Saad Al-Shehri[lower-alpha 2] Saudi Arabia 6 January 202323 August 2023 3 1 0 2 33.33%
57 Roberto Mancini Italy 28 August 2023 Present 6 2 1 3 38.87%
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

Current squad

The following 26 players were called up for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.[40] On 13 January 2024, Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Abbas Al-Hassan and Ayman Yahya were removed from the squad due to injury and replaced by Mohammed Al-Rubaie, Mohammed Al-Breik and Talal Haji.[41] On 16 January 2024, Fahad Al-Muwallad withdrew from the squad due to injury and was replaced by Rayane Hamidou.[42]

Caps and goals are correct as of 16 January 2024, after the match against  Oman, as recognized by SAFF.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Mohammed Al-Rubaie (1997-08-14) 14 August 1997 7 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
21 1GK Raghed Al-Najjar (1996-09-20) 20 September 1996 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
22 1GK Ahmed Al-Kassar (1991-05-08) 8 May 1991 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Fayha

2 2DF Fawaz Al-Sqoor (1996-04-23) 23 April 1996 4 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab
3 2DF Awn Al-Saluli (1998-09-02) 2 September 1998 2 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun
4 2DF Ali Lajami (1996-04-24) 24 April 1996 5 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
5 2DF Ali Al-Bulaihi (1989-11-21) 21 November 1989 48 2 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
12 2DF Saud Abdulhamid (1999-07-18) 18 July 1999 32 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
13 2DF Hassan Kadesh (1992-09-27) 27 September 1992 3 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
17 2DF Hassan Al-Tambakti (1999-02-09) 9 February 1999 27 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
25 2DF Mohammed Al-Breik (1992-09-15) 15 September 1992 42 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
19 2DF Rayane Hamidou (2002-04-13) 13 April 2002 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli

6 3MF Eid Al-Muwallad (2001-12-14) 14 December 2001 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Okhdood
7 3MF Mukhtar Ali (1997-10-30) 30 October 1997 7 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Fateh
8 3MF Abdulellah Al-Malki (1994-10-11) 11 October 1994 32 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
10 3MF Salem Al-Dawsari (1991-08-19) 19 August 1991 79 22 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
15 3MF Abdullah Al-Khaibari (1996-08-16) 16 August 1996 19 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
16 3MF Sami Al-Najei (1997-02-07) 7 February 1997 19 2 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
18 3MF Abdulrahman Ghareeb (1997-03-31) 31 March 1997 22 3 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
23 3MF Mohamed Kanno (1994-09-22) 22 September 1994 48 2 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
24 3MF Nasser Al-Dawsari (1998-12-19) 19 December 1998 17 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
26 3MF Faisal Al-Ghamdi (2001-08-13) 13 August 2001 5 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad

9 4FW Firas Al-Buraikan (2000-05-14) 14 May 2000 37 6 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
11 4FW Saleh Al-Shehri (1993-11-01) 1 November 1993 30 15 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
20 4FW Abdullah Radif (2003-01-20) 20 January 2003 8 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab
14 4FW Talal Haji (2007-09-16) 16 September 2007 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad

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 Nawaf Al-Aqidi (2000-05-10) 10 May 2000 4 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 2023 AFC Asian Cup WD
GK Mohammed Al-Owais (1991-10-10) 10 October 1991 52 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal v.  Jordan, 21 November 2023
GK Hamed Al-Shanqiti (2005-04-26) 26 April 2005 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab v.  Jordan, 21 November 2023
GK Osama Al-Mermesh (2003-07-06) 6 July 2003 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad v.  Bolivia, 28 March 2023

DF Waleed Al-Ahmed (1999-05-03) 3 May 1999 2 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun v.  Jordan, 21 November 2023
DF Muath Faqeehi (2002-05-30) 30 May 2002 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun v.  Jordan, 21 November 2023
DF Abdulbasit Hindi (1997-02-02) 2 February 1997 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli v.  Jordan, 21 November 2023
DF Yasser Al-Shahrani (1992-05-25) 25 May 1992 77 2 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal v.  Jordan, 21 November 2023 INJ
DF Abdulelah Al-Amri (1997-01-15) 15 January 1997 28 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr v.  Jordan, 21 November 2023 INJ
DF Sultan Al-Ghannam (1994-05-06) 6 May 1994 30 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr v.  Mali, 17 October 2023
DF Zakaria Hawsawi (2001-01-12) 12 January 2001 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad v.  Mali, 17 October 2023
DF Ahmed Bamsaud (1995-11-22) 22 November 1995 7 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad v.  South Korea, 12 September 2023
DF Ahmed Sharahili (1994-05-08) 8 May 1994 5 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad v.  South Korea, 12 September 2023
DF Moteb Al-Harbi (2000-02-20) 20 February 2000 4 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab v.  Bolivia, 28 March 2023

MF Fahad Al-Muwallad (1994-09-14) 14 September 1994 76 17 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab 2023 AFC Asian Cup INJ
MF Ayman Yahya (2001-05-14) 14 May 2001 10 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 2023 AFC Asian Cup INJ
MF Abbas Al-Hassan (2004-02-22) 22 February 2004 2 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Fateh 2023 AFC Asian Cup INJ
MF Ali Hazazi (1994-02-18) 18 February 1994 8 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ettifaq 2023 AFC Asian Cup PRE
MF Khalid Al-Ghannam (2000-11-07) 7 November 2000 3 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 2023 AFC Asian Cup PRE
MF Abdulelah Hawsawi (2001-06-02) 2 June 2001 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Khaleej v.  Jordan, 21 November 2023
MF Salman Al-Faraj (1989-08-01) 1 August 1989 73 9 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal v.  Mali, 17 October 2023
MF Abdulaziz Al-Bishi (1994-03-11) 11 March 1994 22 1 Saudi Arabia Damac v.  South Korea, 12 September 2023
MF Riyadh Sharahili (1993-04-28) 28 April 1993 9 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab v.  South Korea, 12 September 2023
MF Sumayhan Al-Nabit (1996-03-27) 27 March 1996 3 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli v.  South Korea, 12 September 2023
MF Fahad Al-Rashidi (1997-05-16) 16 May 1997 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli v.  South Korea, 12 September 2023
MF Hussain Al-Qahtani (1994-12-20) 20 December 1994 2 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab v.  Bolivia, 28 March 2023
MF Abdulrahman Al-Aboud (1995-06-01) 1 June 1995 5 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad v.  Bolivia, 28 March 2023 INJ

FW Mohammed Maran (2001-02-15) 15 February 2001 6 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 2023 AFC Asian Cup PRE
FW Abdullah Al-Hamdan (1999-09-13) 13 September 1999 28 5 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal v.  Mali, 17 October 2023
FW Haroune Camara (1998-01-01) 1 January 1998 12 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad v.  Mali, 17 October 2023
FW Haitham Asiri (2001-03-25) 25 March 2001 10 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli v.  Mali, 17 October 2023

  • COV Player withdrew from the squad due to contracting COVID-19.
  • INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
  • PRE Preliminary squad.
  • RET Retired from the national team.
  • SUS Player is serving a suspension.
  • WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Player records

As of 20 November 2018[43]
Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only
Players in bold are still active with Saudi Arabia.

Most appearances

Mohamed Al-Deayea is Saudi Arabia's most capped player with 173 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1Mohamed Al-Deayea[lower-roman 1]17301993–2006
2Mohammed Al-Khilaiwi16331990–2001
3Sami Al-Jaber156461992–2006
4Abdullah Zubromawi14231993–2002
5Osama Hawsawi13872006–2018
Hussein Abdulghani13851996–2018
7Taisir Al-Jassim134192004–2018
8Saud Kariri13372001–2015
9Mohamed Abd Al-Jawad12171981–1994
10Mohammad Al-Shalhoub118192000–2018
  1. Some souces 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.[44][45][46]

Top goalscorers

Majed Abdullah is Saudi Arabia's top scorer with 72 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1Majed Abdullah721160.611978–1994
2Sami Al-Jaber461560.291992–2006
3Yasser Al-Qahtani421080.392002–2013
4Obeid Al-Dosari41940.441994–2002
5Talal Al-Meshal32600.531998–2006
6Mohammad Al-Sahlawi28420.672010–2018
Khaled Al-Muwallid281140.251988–1998
8Hamzah Idris26660.391992–2000
Fahad Al-Mehallel26870.31992–1999
10Saeed Al-Owairan24750.321992–1998
Ibrahim Al-Shahrani24860.281997–2005

Competitive record

Saudi players warm-up before their match against Ukraine during the 2006 FIFA World Cup (19 June 2006)
Saudi Arabia players before the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening fixture, against hosts Russia in Group A.
*Denotes draws includes knockout matches decided on penalty shootouts. Red border indicates that the tournament was hosted on home soil. Gold, silver, bronze backgrounds indicate 1st, 2nd and 3rd finishes respectively. Bold text indicates best finish in tournament.

  Champion    Runners-up    Third place  

Overview
Event 1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
FIFA Confederations Cup 0 1 0
FIFA Arab Cup 2 1 1
AFC Asian Cup 3 3 0
Arabian Gulf Cup 3 7 8
Asian Games 0 1 1
Arab Games 0 1 1
Total 8 14 11

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
YearResultPositionMWDLGFGAMWDLGFGA
Uruguay 1930Not a FIFA member No qualification
Italy 1934 Not a FIFA member
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958Did not enter Did not enter
Chile 1962
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978Did not qualify 410337
Spain 1982 10415916
Mexico 1986 201101
Italy 1990 9432119
United States 1994Round of 1612th420256 11650287
France 1998Group stage28th301227 14932267
South Korea Japan 200232nd3003012 141121478
Germany 200628th301227 121020242
South Africa 2010Did not qualify 168532515
Brazil 2014 8332147
Russia 2018Group stage26th310227 1812334514
Qatar 202225th310235 1813413410
Canada Mexico United States 2026To be determined 220060
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034Qualified as host Qualified as host
TotalRound of 166/251942131444137823223270103

AFC Asian Cup

The Final of the 1984 AFC Asian Cup, against China. Saudi Arabia won their first AFC Asian Cup in their first entry to the competition.
AFC Asian Cup record AFC Asian Cup qualification record
YearResultPositionMWDLGFGAMWDLGFGA
Hong Kong 1956Not an AFC member Not an AFC member
South Korea 1960
Israel 1964
Iran 1968
Thailand 1972
Iran 1976Withdrew 6312125
Kuwait 1980 Withdrew
Singapore 1984 Champions 1st 6 3 3 0 7 3 4400190
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 4400100
Lebanon 2000 Runners-up 2nd 6 3 1 2 11 8 Automatic qualification as champions
China 2004Group stage13th301235 6600311
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007 Runners-up 2nd 6 4 1 1 12 6 6501214
Qatar 2011Group stage15th300318 Automatic qualification as runners-up
Australia 2015 10th 3 1 0 2 5 5 6 5 1 0 9 3
United Arab Emirates 2019Round of 1612th420263 8620284
Qatar 2023Qualified 8620224
Saudi Arabia 2027Qualified as host Qualified as host
Total3 Titles12/1948211314694848396315221

FIFA Arab Cup

FIFA Arab Cup record
YearResultMWDLGFGA
Lebanon 1963Did not enter
Kuwait 1964
Iraq 1966
Saudi Arabia 1985Third place421173
Jordan 1988Group stage402214
Syria 1992Runners-up421175
Qatar 1998Champions4400123
Kuwait 2002Champions6510113
2009Cancelled
Saudi Arabia 2012Fourth place411265
Qatar 2021Group stage301213
Total7/102914784526

West Asian Football Federation Championship

WAFF Championship record
Year Round Pld W D L GF GA
Jordan 2000Did not participate
Syria 2002
Iran 2004
Jordan 2007
Iran 2008
Jordan 2010
Kuwait 2012Group stage311111
Qatar 2014201114
Iraq 2019301215
United Arab Emirates 2023Qualified
Total4/108134310

Gulf Cup

Gulf Cup record
YearResultPositionMWDLGFGA
Bahrain 1970Third place3rd302124
Saudi Arabia 1972Runners-up2nd3210102
Kuwait 1974Runners-up2nd430196
Qatar 1976Group stage5th6204814
Iraq 1979Third place3rd6321144
United Arab Emirates 1982Group stage4th521264
Oman 1984Third place3rd631298
Bahrain 1986Third place3rd630399
Saudi Arabia 1988Third place3rd623154
Kuwait 1990Withdrew
Qatar 1992Third place3rd530264
United Arab Emirates 1994Champions1st5410104
Oman 1996Third place3rd522186
Bahrain 1998Runners-up2nd532052
Saudi Arabia 2002Champions1st5410103
Kuwait 2003–04Champions1st642082
Qatar 2004Group stage5th310245
United Arab Emirates 2007Third place3rd421143
Oman 2009Runners-up2nd5320100
Yemen 2010Runners-up2nd522162
Bahrain 2013Group stage5th310223
Saudi Arabia 2014Runners-up2nd531195
Kuwait 2017–18Group stage6th311123
Qatar 2019Runners-up2nd530275
Iraq 2023Group stage6th310234
Total3 Titles24/25112572530166106

Arab Games

Arab Games record
YearResultMWDLGFGA
Egypt 1953Did not enter
Lebanon 1957Group stage311143
Morocco 1961Round robin5104438
United Arab Republic 1965Did not enter
Syria 1976Runners-up631294
Morocco 1985Fourth place430163
Lebanon 1997Did not enter
Jordan 1999First round201123
Egypt 2007Third place411255
Qatar 2011First round201102
Total7/102695123158

Asian Games

Asian Games record
YearRoundPositionMWDLGFGA
India 1951Did not enter
Philippines 1954
Japan 1958
Indonesia 1962
Thailand 1966
Thailand 1970
Iran 1974
Thailand 1978Group stage10th302134
India 1982Semi-finalThird place632174
South Korea 1986FinalRunners-up632196
China 1990Quarterfinals5th321060
Japan 1994Quarterfinals5th5302910
Thailand 1998Did not enter
2002–present See Saudi Arabia national under-23 football team
TotalFinal5/132311753424

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 4/10 12 3 1 8 13 31

All-time results

The following table shows Saudi Arabia's all-time international record, correct as of 15 Jan 2024.

Against Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD
Total7223391612121086764+322

Honours

International

Continental

Regional

Other

Titles

AFC Asian Cup

FIFA Arab Cup

Arabian Gulf Cup

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