The Saudi Arabia national football team ( ar, المنتخب العربي السعودي لكرة القدم) represent
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...
in men's international
football. They are known as ''Al-Suqour Al-Khodhur'' (The Green Falcons) in reference to their traditional colours of green and white and represent both
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
and the
Asian Football Confederation
The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in some countries/territories in Asia and Oceania. It has 47 member countries most of which are located in Asia. Australia, formerly ...
(AFC).
Considered one of Asia's most successful national teams, Saudi Arabia have won the
AFC Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...
three times (1984, 1988 and 1996), reached a joint record six Asian Cup finals and have qualified for the
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament has ...
on six occasions since debuting at the
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...
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
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
and
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
managed to repeat this feat in
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
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
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
and
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...
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
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
and
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
) to accomplish such a feat to date.
In 2027, Saudi Arabia will host the
AFC Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...
. It will be the first time that the nation has ever hosted an Asian Cup.
History
Early history
The idea of a Saudi national team first came about in 1951, when a Saudi XI team consisting of players from
Al-Wehda and
Al-Ahli took part in a friendly game against the Egyptian Ministry of Health on 27 June at the Al-Saban Stadium in
Jeddah. The following day, the Egyptians took on a Saudi team made up of players from
Al-Ittihad Al-Ittihad (Arabic language, Arabic: الاتحاد "The Union"), sometimes transliterated as Al-Etihad or Al-Ettihad may refer to:
Sports Football Libya
*Al-Ittihad Club (Tripoli), a football club based in Bab Ben Gashier
*Al Ittihad Gheryan, a f ...
and
Al-Hilal in Al-Bahri in the same city. On 2 August, His Royal Highness Prince
Abdullah Al-Faisal organized a third friendly with the Egyptian team against Saudi Arabia with players from
Al-Wehda, and
Al-Ahli. By then, the idea of a national select team to represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was already in full flow, and in 1953 the first-ever Saudi team traveled to play friendly matches abroad. The same year, a Saudi team traveled to
Damascus to play friendly matches as part of then-Crown Prince
Saud bin Abdulaziz’s visit to the country in April.
In 1957, the Saudi national team took part in their first international tournament at the
2nd Pan-Arab Games in
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
, 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
Levon Aram Altounian ( ar, ليون ارام التونيان; 15 February 1936 – 6 September 2020) was a Lebanese Association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder#Winger, right winger or an midfielder, attacking midfielder.
Altoun ...
netted for the home side.
Debuting successes and subsequent declines
Though their football federation was established in 1956, the Saudi Arabia national team did not participate in a tournament until they qualified for the
AFC Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...
in
1984. Since then, they reached the next four consecutive Asian Cup finals, winning two of them (
1988 and
1996). They have qualified for every Asian Cup since, reaching the final in
2007.
Saudi Arabia qualified for their first
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament has ...
in
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...
under the leadership of Argentine manager
Jorge Solari and talents like
Saeed Al-Owairan
Saeed Ali Al-Owairan Al-Dossari ( ar, سعيد علي العويران الدوسري; born 19 August 1967) is a Saudi Arabian former international footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or forward. He is renowned for his goal in t ...
and
Sami Al-Jaber, reinforced by national veteran
Majed Abdullah as team captain. Wins against
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
and
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...
in the group stage led to a match-up against
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
in the round of 16, a 3–1 loss. Saudi Arabia qualified for the next three World Cups, but failed to win a match in any of them; the team placed last in
2002 without scoring a goal, while conceding 12, including eight against
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
.
Revival and history written
Saudi Arabia secured qualification for the
2018 World Cup, their first in 12 years, ahead of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
. Hosts
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
annihilated the Arabs in the opening match 5–0, making this the second largest victory of any host nation at the FIFA World Cup. Saudi Arabia then lost 1–0 to a
Luis Suarez
Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...
-led
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, the eventual group winners. Although they were already eliminated, they managed to salvage some pride by winning their final group stage match against
Red Sea
The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...
neighbours
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
.
After the 2018 World Cup, Saudi Arabia participated in the
2019 Asian Cup
The 2019 AFC Asian Cup was the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in the United Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 F ...
, held in the United Arab Emirates; the team finished second in the group stage, after falling to
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
in the final game, leading to a showdown against
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
in the round of 16. The Saudis dominated the whole game, but ultimately lost 1–0 due to poor finishing.
On 15 October 2019, Saudi Arabia played its first-ever game with
Palestine in the
West Bank
The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
; 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
The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine, as a support for their sovereignty over the West Bank. The game ended in a scoreless draw.
Saudi Arabia qualified for the
2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022; it is the first Wor ...
in
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
, the first to be held in the Middle East, by topping their qualifying group and were drawn against
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
and
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
. In the opening game of their
group, they defeated a much fancied
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
side 2–1, ending an Argentine unbeaten streak of 36 games dating back to 2019. The Saudi King declared a Holiday after the win over Argentina. They then lost their next match against
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, 2–0.
Salem Al-Dawsari
Salem Mohammed Shafi Al-Dawsari ( ar, سالم محمد شافي الدوسري; born 19 August 1991) is a Saudi Arabian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Saudi Professional League club Al Hilal and the Saudi Arabia national t ...
's penalty was saved by Polish goalkeeper
Wojciech Szczęsny in the first half when the score was 1–0. This made Saudi require a win against
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
to advance to the Round of 16 regardless of the Argentina-Poland result. Saudi Arabia ended up losing the game 2–1 and was subsequently eliminated from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the group stages, finishing 4th in their group. As Argentina subsequently walked on to eventually claim the 2022 FIFA World Cup title, the shock win Saudi Arabia gained against Argentina was a major consolation for the country's early World Cup exit.
Kits and crests
Traditionally, the Saudi Arabia national football team's home kit is all-white and the away kit is all-green (flag colors).
Kit suppliers
Rivalries
Due to historical reasons, matches against
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
have been frequently followed and seen by Saudis as the most important rival. This stems from the strong hatred between Saudi Arabia and Iran, in particular in recent years due to historical enmities. Iran is leading the series by one game. Saudi Arabia has 4 wins, 6 draws, and 5 losses against Iran. It's one of 10 most heated rivalries with political influence.
Saudi Arabia's other heated rival is
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
. However, the rivalry only began in the 1970s. Due to the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
, in which Iraq invaded Saudi Arabia's ally Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq eventually became bitter rivals fighting to salvage Arab pride. The two countries since then have an up-and-down in relations, often ranged from lack of cooperation and political confrontation. Iraq almost pulled out of the
21st Arabian Gulf Cup after the country was disallowed to host the competition in a move believed to be motivated by Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia's other rivals are mostly from the Gulf, notably
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
,
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...
and the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...
.
Venues
Historically, Saudi Arabia played most of their home matches in
King Fahd International Stadium, located in the capital
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the ...
. The stadium was also where some of Saudi Arabia's most important fixtures were when the country hosted the first three
King Fahd Cup
The FIFA Confederations Cup was an international association football tournament for men's national teams, held every four years by FIFA. It was contested by the holders of each of the six continental championships ( AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEB ...
s (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
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
and at the first fixture against
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
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
King Saud University Stadium, also known as Mrsool Park due to sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In September 2020, Saudi Media Company obtained the management rights for operating the stadium. In October ...
also in Riyadh.
Results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results from the previous 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
2022
2023
Coaching staff
Coaching history
*
Abdulrahman Fawzi (1957–1961)
* Ali Chaouach (1967–1969)
*
George Skinner (1970)
* Mohammed Sheita (1970–1972)
*
Taha Ismail
Taha Ismail ( ar, طه اسماعيل; born 8 February 1939) is an Egyptian former footballer who played as a forward for Al-Ahly and the Egypt national team. He represented his country in the 1964 Summer Olympics.
After retiring, Ismail tra ...
(1972–1974)
*
Abdo Saleh El Wahsh 1974)
*
Ferenc Puskás
Ferenc Puskás (, ; born Ferenc Purczeld; 1 April 1927 – 17 November 2006) was a Hungarian football player and manager, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and the sport's first international superstar. A forwar ...
(1975)
*
Bill McGarry
William Harry McGarry (10 June 1927 – 15 March 2005) was an England international association footballer and manager who spent 40 years in the professional game. He had a reputation for toughness, both as a player and as a manager.
A right- ...
(1976–1977)
*
Ronnie Allen (1978)
*
Danny Allison (1978)
*
David Woodfield
David Woodfield (born 11 October 1943) is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Watford and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Career
After a nine-year spell with Wolverhampton Wanderers where he made over 250 appearances Woo ...
(1979)
*
Rubens Minelli
Rubens Francisco Minelli (born 19 December 1928) is a Brazilian former football player and manager.
As a player, he played for Ypiranga, Nacional (SP), Palmeiras, Taubaté and São Bento, where he ended his career after broken a leg when he ...
(1980)
*
Mario Zagallo
is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his crea ...
(1981–1984)
*
Khalil Ibrahim Al-Zayani (1984–1986)
*
Castilho (1986)
*
Osvaldo (1987)
*
Carlos Galletti (1988)
*
Omar Borrás
Omar Bienvenido Borrás Granda (15 June 1929 – 19 October 2022) was a Uruguayan football manager.
Career
Borrás was assistant manager to Ondino Viera while Uruguay national team played the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England.
As manager of Mont ...
(1988)
*
Carlos Alberto Parreira (1988–1990)
*
Metin Türel (1990)
*
Claudinho Garcia (1990–1992)
*
Veloso Veloso is a Portuguese surname that means "hairy". Following is a list of notable people with the surname Veloso.
*Amelyn Veloso (1974-2017), a Filipino former broadcast journalist
*António Veloso (born 1957), a Portuguese footballer and coach
*Cae ...
(1992)
*
Nelsinho Rosa
Nélson Rosa Martins (born 8 December 1937), known as Nelsinho Rosa, is a Brazilian retired football coach and former player who played as a midfielder.
Career
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Rosa made his senior debut with Madureira before joining Fla ...
(1992)
*
Candinho (1993)
*
Leo Beenhakker (1993–1994)
*
Mohammed Al-Kharashy
Mohammed Al-Kharashi is a Saudi Arabian football manager.
Career
In the 1994 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers, he tool charge the Saudi Arabian national soccer team for their final match, after their original manager kendono was fired. He led Saudi ...
(1994, 1995, 1998)
*
Ivo Wortmann (1994)
*
Jorge Solari (1994)
*
Zé Mário (1995–1996)
*
Nelo Vingada
Eduardo Manuel "Nelo" Martinho Bragança de Vingada (born 30 March 1953) is a Portuguese football manager.
Managerial career
Early years
Vingada was born in Serpa. His first steps as a professional football manager were in Belenenses, and then ...
(1996–1997)
*
Otto Pfister (1998)
*
Carlos Alberto Parreira (1998)
*
Otto Pfister (1999)
*
Milan Máčala
Milan Máčala (born 4 August 1943) is a Czech football coach who coached various clubs in the Czech Republic and the Middle East.
He has previously coached in the area with the national teams of Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, ...
(1999–2000)
*
Nasser Al-Johar
Nasser Hamad Al-Johar ( ar, ناصر الجوهر; born 6 January 1946) is a Saudi Arabian football coach and former player.
Club career
Al-Johar played for Al Nassr FC.
Managerial career
Al-Johar coached the Saudi Arabia national football team ...
(2000, 2001–2002, 2004, 2008–2009, 2011)
*
Slobodan Santrač
Slobodan Santrač (, ; 1 July 1946 – 13 February 2016) was a Serbian football manager and player. He is the all-time top scorer of the Yugoslav First League with a total of 218 goals, as well as the top scorer in the history of OFK Beograd. ...
(2001)
*
Gerard van der Lem (2002–2004)
*
Martin Koopman
Martin Koopman (born 5 June 1956 in Wezep) is a Dutch former football defender, who played for Go Ahead Eagles, FC Twente and Cambuur Leeuwarden. He could also play as a midfielder. After 2 years as a youth coach then 8 as an assistant coach (19 ...
(2002)
*
Gabriel Calderon (2004–2005)
*
Marcos Paquetá
Marcos César Dias de Castro (born 27 August 1958), known as Marcos Paquetá, is a former Brazilian footballer who played as a central midfielder and a current manager.
Career
Born in Rio de Janeiro but raised in the Paquetá Island, he starte ...
(2006–2007)
*
Hélio dos Anjos (2007–2008)
*
José Peseiro
José Vítor dos Santos Peseiro (born 4 April 1960) is a Portuguese football manager and former player who played as a forward. He is the manager of the Nigeria national team.
After an unassuming career as a player, he went on to coach several ...
(2009–2011)
*
Rogério Lourenço (2011)
*
Frank Rijkaard
Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard (; born 30 September 1962) is a Dutch former footballer and former manager who played as a defensive midfielder. Rijkaard played for Ajax, Real Zaragoza and AC Milan and represented the Netherlands national team side ...
(2011–2013)
*
Juan Ramón López Caro
Juan Ramón López Caro (; born 23 March 1963) is a Spanish football manager.
He managed Real Madrid and Levante in La Liga, as well as Celta and Real Madrid Castilla in Segunda División. After a spell in charge of Spain under-21 he moved abr ...
(2013–2014)
*
Cosmin Olăroiu (2014–2015)
*
Faisal Al Baden
Faisal, Faisel, Fayçal or Faysal ( ar, فيصل) is an Arabic given name.
Faisal, Fayçal or Faysal may also refer to:
People
* King Faisal (disambiguation)
** Faisal I of Iraq and Syria (1885–1933), leader during the Arab Revolt
** Faisal I ...
(2015)
*
Bert van Marwijk
Lambertus van Marwijk (; born 19 May 1952) is a Dutch football manager who was recently the head coach of the United Arab Emirates national team. As a player, he played for the Go Ahead Eagles, AZ, MVV and Fortuna Sittard amongst other clubs ...
(2015–2017)
*
Edgardo Bauza
Edgardo Bauza (born 26 January 1958) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a defender. Before taking up management, he played over 300 games for Rosario Central. He also played for Independiente in Argentina, Atlét ...
(2017)
*
Juan Antonio Pizzi (2017–2019)
*
Youssef Anbar
Youssef Hussein Sultan Omar Anbar ( ar, يوسف عنبر; born 28 November 1962) is a Saudi Arabian former football manager and footballer.
Playing career
Anbar played for Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli and was regarded as one of the club's most ...
(2019)
*
Hervé Renard
Hervé Jean-Marie Roger Renard (born 30 September 1968) is a French professional Association football, football coach and former player who is the manager of the Saudi Arabia national football team, Saudi Arabia national team.
Renard has previo ...
(2019–present)
Players
Current squad
The following 26 players were called up for the
2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022; it is the first Wor ...
. On 13 November,
Fahad Al-Muwallad
Fahad Mosaed al-Muwallad ( ar, فهد المولد, born 14 September 1994) is a Saudi Arabian professional footballer who currently plays as a winger for Al-Shabab.
He started his professional career with Al-Ittihad when he was only 16 year ...
was replaced by
Nawaf Al-Abed
Nawaf Shaker Fayrouz Al-Abed ( ar, نواف شاكر فيروز العابد; born 26 January 1990) is a Saudi Arabian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Al Shabab and the Saudi Arabia national team.
Club career Al-Hilal
In 20 ...
.
* Match date: 22 – 30 November 2022
* Opposition: , , & .
* ''Caps and goals are correct as of 30 November 2022, after the match against , as recognized by
SAFF.''
Recent call-ups
The following players have also been called up to the Saudi Arabia squad within the last 12 months.
*
COV Player withdrew from the squad due to contracting COVID-19.
*
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
*
PRE Preliminary squad.
*
RET Retired from the national team.
*
SUS Player is serving a suspension.
*
WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.
Player records
:''Players in bold are still active with Saudi Arabia.''
Competitive record
:''*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
FIFA World Cup
AFC Asian Cup
FIFA Arab Cup
West Asian Football Federation Championship
Arabian Gulf Cup record
Pan Arab Games
Asian Games
:''Football at the Asian Games has been an under-23 tournament since 2002.''
FIFA Confederations Cup
All-time results
The following table shows Saudi Arabia's all-time international record, correct as of 30 November 2022.
world football.net
Honours
International
*
FIFA Confederations Cup:
**''Runner-up'':
1992
**''Fourth Place'':
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
Continental
*
AFC Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...
:
**''Winner'':
1984,
1988,
1996
**''Runner-up'':
1992,
2000,
2007
*
Asian Games
**''Silver Medalists'':
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal en ...
**''Bronze Medalists'':
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...
Regional
*
Arabian Gulf Cup
The Arabian Gulf Cup ( ar, كأس الخليج العربي, ''Kass Al-Khaleej Al-Arabi''), often referred to simply as the Gulf Cup, is a biennial football competition governed by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation for its eight member na ...
:
**''Winner'':
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...
,
2002,
2003–04
**''Runner-up'':
1972,
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
,
1998,
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
,
2010,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...
,
2019
**''Third Place'':
1970,
1979,
1984,
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal en ...
,
1988,
1992,
1996,
2007
*
Arab Cup:
**''Winner'':
1998,
2002
**''Runner-up'':
1992
**''Third Place'':
1985
**''Fourth Place'':
2012
*
Pan Arab Games
The Arab Games ( ar, الألعاب العربية), also called the Pan Arab Games, are a regional multi-sport event held between nations from the Arab world. They are organized by the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees. The first Gam ...
**''Silver Medalists'':
1976
**''Bronze Medalists'':
2007
Other
*
Afro-Asian Cup of Nations:
**''Runner-up'':
1985,
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
*
Islamic Solidarity Games
**''Gold Medalists'':
2005
Titles
AFC Asian Cup
FIFA Arab Cup
Arabian Gulf Cup
References
External links
*
FIFA profileSaudi Arabia national football team websiteSaudi Arabia in WC 2022
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saudi Arabia National Football Team
AFC Asian Cup-winning countries
Asian national association football teams