The Saudi National Team in the FIFA World Cup
The Saudi National Team in the FIFA World Cup has qualified for the tournament, which is held once every four years, seven times, including four consecutive times in the years: 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2006. They qualified for the fifth time in 2018, for the sixth time in 2022, and for the seventh time in 2026.
FIFA World Cup qualifiers
The Saudi Senior National Team first participated in the preliminary stages of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 1978. For forty-eight years after that, they participated thirteen times, in which they played 154 matches. Out of these, they won eighty-nine matches, drew in thirty-eight, and lost twenty-seven. Throughout their participation, they scored 288 goals and conceded 116. The team successfully converted twenty-eight penalties but missed nine. The team scored an average of 137 goals in the first half of each game, while in the second half, they scored an average of 149 goals. The fastest goal recorded by the team during the qualifying phase was scored in the thirtieth second of a match against Iraq in 2001 by the player Abdullah Al-Sheehan.
FIFA World Cup qualifiers statistics
| Participation | Year | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| First | 1978 | Didn't qualify |
| Second | 1982 | Didn't qualify |
| Third | 1986 | Didn't qualify |
| Fourth | 1990 | Didn't qualify |
| Fifth | 1994 | Qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals in the United States |
| Sixth | 1998 | Qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals in France |
| Seventh | 2002 | Qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan |
| Eighth | 2006 | Qualified in the FIFA World Cup finals in Germany |
| Nineth | 2010 | Didn't qualify |
| Tenth | 2014 | Didn't qualify |
| Eleventh | 2018 | Qualified in the FIFA World Cup finals in Russia |
| Twelfth | 2022 | Qualified in the FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar |
| Thirteenth | 2026 | Qualified in the FIFA World Cup finals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico |
FIFA World Cup finals
The Saudi Senior National Team participated in the FIFA World Cup finals six times. Their participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the seventh time. They played previously a total of nineteen matches. Out of these, they won four matches, lost thirteen, and drew in two matches. The team scored a total of fourteen goals, including four goals from penalty kicks, and conceded forty-four goals. Player Saeed Al-Owairan achieved the fastest goal when he scored in the fifth minute against Belgium in the 1994 FIFA World Cup held in the United States. The first goal in the tournament for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was scored by the player Fuad Anwar in the same World Cup.
FIFA World Cup finals statistics
| Year | Hosting Country | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | United States | Qualified for the Round of 16 |
| 1998 | France | Exited in the Group Stage |
| 2002 | South Korea and Japan | Exited in the Group Stage |
| 2006 | Germany | Exited in the Group Stage |
| 2018 | Russia | Exited in the Group Stage |
| 2022 | Qatar | Exited in the Group Stage |
| 2026 | United States, Canada, and Mexico | - |
First participation in 1994
The Saudi Senior National Team qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in its history in 1994, under the leadership of its Argentinian coach, Jorge Solari. The tournament took place in the United States. Saudi Arabia's group included Netherlands, Morocco, and Belgium.
Matches
| Date | City | Match | Result | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 20, 1994 | Washington DC | Saudi Arabia X Netherlands | 1 - 2 | Fuad Anwar |
| June 25, 1994 | New York | Saudi Arabia X Morocco | 2 - 1 | Fuad Anwar |
| June 29, 1994 | Washington DC | Saudi Arabia X Belgium | 1 - 0 | Saeed Al-Owairan |
| July 3, 1994 | Dallas | Saudi Arabia X Sweden (Round of 16) | 1 - 3 | Fahad Al-Ghesheyan |
Statistics
| Matches | 4 |
|---|---|
| Wins | 2 |
| Draws | 0 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Group standing | 2 and qualified for the Round of 16 |
| Goals scored | 5 |
| Goals conceded | 6 |
| Average goals per match | 1.25 |
| First-half goals | 4 |
| Second-half goals | 1 |
| Yellow cards | 9 |
| Red cards | 0 |
List of players
| No. | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Mohammed Al-Deayea |
| 2 | Abdullah Saleh |
| 3 | Mohammed Al-Khilaiwi |
| 4 | Abdullah Suleiman |
| 5 | Ahmed Jamil |
| 6 | Fouad Anwar |
| 7 | Fahad Al-Gheshayan |
| 8 | Fahad Al-Herafy |
| 9 | Majed Abdullah (Captain) |
| 10 | Saeed Al-Owairan |
| 11 | Fahad Al-Mehallel |
| 12 | Sami Al-Jaber |
| 13 | Mohammed Abduljawad (Captain) |
| 14 | Khalid Massad |
| 15 | Saleh Al-Dawood |
| 16 | Talal Al-Jebreen |
| 17 | Yasser Al-Taifi |
| 18 | Awwad Al-Enezi |
| 19 | Hamzah Saleh |
| 20 | Hamzah Idris |
| 21 | Hussein Al-Sadiq |
| 22 | Ibrahim Al-Helwah |
| Coach | Jorge Solari |
Second participation in 1998
The Saudi Senior National Team participated in the FIFA World Cup finals for the second time in 1998, held in France. Saudi Arabia's group consisted of Denmark, France, and South Africa. The team was coached by the Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira who was dismissed before the third match and the Saudi coach, Mohammed Al-Kharashi guided the team in his place.
Matches
| Date | City | Match | Result | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 12, 1998 | Nice | Saudi Arabia X Denmark | 0 - 1 | - |
| June 24, 1998 | Saint-Denis | Saudi Arabia X France | 0 - 4 | - |
| June 30, 1998 | Bordeaux | Saudi Arabia X South Africa | 2 - 2 | Sami Al-Jaber (penalty kick) Youssef Al-Thunayan (penalty kick) |
Statistics
| Matches | 3 |
|---|---|
| Wins | 0 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Group standing | 4 |
| Goals scored | 2 |
| Goals conceded | 7 |
| Average goals per match | 0.67 |
| First-half goals | 1 |
| Second-half goals | 1 |
| Yellow cards | 4 |
| Red cards | 1 |
List of players
| No. | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Mohammed Al-Deayea |
| 2 | Mohammed Sheliah |
| 3 | Mohammed Al-Khilaiwi |
| 4 | Abdullah Suleiman |
| 5 | Ahmed Jamil |
| 6 | Fouad Anwar |
| 7 | Ibrahim Suwayed |
| 8 | Obeid Al-Dosari |
| 9 | Sami Al-Jaber |
| 10 | Saeed Al-Owairan |
| 11 | Fahad Al-Mehallel |
| 12 | Ibrahim Mater |
| 13 | Hussein Abdulghani |
| 14 | Khalid Massad |
| 15 | Yousuf Al-Thunayan (Captin) |
| 16 | Khamis Al-Owairan |
| 17 | Ahmed Al-Dokhi |
| 18 | Nawaf Al-Temyat |
| 19 | Abdulaziz Al-Janoubi |
| 20 | Hamzah Saleh |
| 21 | Hussein Al-Sadiq |
| 22 | Taisir Al-Netif |
| Coach | The Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira, (the last match by the Saudi coach Mohammed Al-Kharashi) |
Third participation in 2002
The Saudi Senior National Team participated for the third time in 2002 FIFA World Cup finals that were co-hosted by South Korea and Japan. The Saudi team's group included Germany, Cameroon, and Ireland. Nasser Al-Johar was the team's coach.
In their opening match, the Kingdom faced Germany in the Japanese city of Sapporo, suffering a defeat with a scoreline of zero-eight. The Saudi team's second match, played in Saitama, Japan, ended in a one-zero loss to Cameroon. In their third and final group game against Ireland, the Saudis lost zero-three. The team's coach during this tournament was Nasser al-Johar.
Matches
| Date | City | Match | Result | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1, 2002 | Sapporo (Japan) | Saudi Arabia X Germany | 0 - 8 | - |
| June 6, 2002 | Saitama (Japan) | Saudi Arabia X Cameroon | 0 - 1 | - |
| June 11, 2002 | Yokohama (Japan) | Saudi Arabia X Ireland | 0 - 3 | - |
Statistics
| Matches | 3 |
|---|---|
| Wins | 0 |
| Draws | 0 |
| Losses | 3 |
| Group standing | 4 |
| Goals scored | 0 |
| Goals conceded | 12 |
| Average goals per match | 0 |
| First-half goals | 0 |
| Second-half goals | 0 |
| Yellow cards | 2 |
| Red cards | 0 |
List of Players
| No. | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Mohammed Al-Deayea |
| 2 | Mohammed Sheliah |
| 3 | Redha Tukar |
| 4 | Abdullah Suleiman |
| 5 | Mohsen Al-Harthi |
| 6 | Fawzi Al-Shehri |
| 7 | Ibrahim Suwayed |
| 8 | Mohammed Noor |
| 9 | Sami Al-Jaber (Captin) |
| 10 | Mohammed Al-Shalhoub |
| 11 | Obeid Al-Dosari |
| 12 | Ahmed Al-Dokhi |
| 13 | Hussein Abdulghani |
| 14 | Abdulaziz Al-Khathran |
| 15 | Abdullah Al-Jumaan |
| 16 | Khamis Al-Owairan |
| 17 | Abdullah Al-Waked |
| 18 | Nawaf Al-Temyat |
| 19 | Omar Al-Ghamdi |
| 20 | Al-Hassan Al-Yami |
| 21 | Mabrouk Zayed |
| 22 | Mohammed Al-Khojali |
| 23 | Mansour Al-Thaqafi |
| Coach | The Saudi coach Nasser Al-Johar |
Fourth participation in 2006
The Saudi Senior National Team participated for the fourth time in the 2006 FIFA World Cup which was hosted by Germany. Saudi Arabia's group included Tunisia, Ukraine, and Spain. The coach of the Saudi Senior National Team was the Brazilian Marcos Paqueta.
Matches
| Date | City | Match | Result | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 14, 2006 | Munich | Saudi Arabia X Tunisia | 2 - 2 | Sami Al-Jaber Yasser Al-Qahtani |
| June 19, 2006 | Hamburg | Saudi Arabia X Ukraine | 0 - 4 | - |
| June 23, 2006 | Kaiserslautern | Saudi Arabia X Spain | 0 - 1 | - |
Statistics
| Matches | 3 |
|---|---|
| Wins | 0 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Group standing | 4 |
| Goals scored | 2 |
| Goals conceded | 7 |
| Average goals per match | 0.67 |
| First-half goals | 0 |
| Second-half goals | 2 |
| Yellow cards | 5 |
| Red cards | 0 |
List of Players
| No. | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Mohammed Al-Deayea |
| 2 | Ahmed Al-Dokhi |
| 3 | Redha Tukar |
| 4 | Hamad Al-Montashari |
| 5 | Naif Al-Qadi |
| 6 | Omar Al-Ghamdi |
| 7 | Mohammed Amin |
| 8 | Mohammed Noor |
| 9 | Sami Al-Jaber (Captin) |
| 10 | Mohammed Al-Shalhoub |
| 11 | Saad Al-Harthi |
| 12 | Abdulaziz Al-Khathran |
| 13 | Hussein Abdulghani |
| 14 | Saud Kariri |
| 15 | Ahmed Al-Bahri |
| 16 | Khalid Aziz |
| 17 | Mohammed Eid |
| 18 | Nawaf Al-Temyat |
| 19 | Mohammed Massad |
| 20 | Yasser Al-Qahtani |
| 21 | Mabrouk Zayed |
| 22 | Mohammed Al-Khojali |
| 23 | Malek Mouath |
| Coach | The Brazilian Marcos Paqueta |
Fifth participation in 2018
The Saudi Senior National Team participated for the fifth time in the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals held in Russia. Under the leadership of Spanish coach Juan Antonio Pizzi, the Saudi team's group included Russia, Uruguay, and Egypt.
Matches
| Date | City | Match | Result | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 14, 2018 | Moscow | Saudi Arabia X Russia | 0 - 5 | - |
| June 20, 2018 | Rostov | Saudi Arabia X Uruguay | 0 - 1 | - |
| June 25, 2018 | Volgograd | Saudi Arabia X Egypt | 2 - 1 | Salem Al-Dawsari Salman al-Faraj |
Statistics
| Matches | 3 |
|---|---|
| Wins | 1 |
| Draws | 0 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Group standing | 3 |
| Goals scored | 2 |
| Goals conceded | 7 |
| Average goals per match | 0.67 |
| First-half goals | 1 |
| Second-half goals | 1 |
| Yellow cards | 1 |
| Red cards | 0 |
List of Players
| No. | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Abdullah Al-Mayouf |
| 2 | Mansour Al-Harbi |
| 3 | Osama Hawsawi |
| 4 | Ali Al-Bulaihi |
| 5 | Omar Hawsawi |
| 6 | Mohammed Al-Breik |
| 7 | Salman Al-Faraj (Captain) |
| 8 | Yahya Al-Shehri |
| 9 | Hattan Bahebri |
| 10 | Mohammed Al-Sahlawi |
| 11 | Abdulmalek Al-Khaibari |
| 12 | Mohammed Kanno |
| 13 | Yasser Al-Shahrani |
| 14 | Abdullah Otayf |
| 15 | Abdullah Al-Khaibari |
| 16 | Hussain Al-Mogahwi |
| 17 | Taisir Al-Jassim |
| 18 | Salem Al-Dawsari |
| 19 | Fahad Al-Muwallad |
| 20 | Mohannad Assiri |
| 21 | Yasser Al-Mosailem |
| 22 | Mohammed Al-Owais |
| 23 | Motaz Hawsawi |
| Coach | The Spanish Juan Antonio Pizzi |
Sixth participation in 2022
The Saudi Senior National Team participated for the sixth time in the 2022 FIFA World Cup hosted by Qatar. Under the leadership of their French coach, Herve Renard, the team was drawn into Group Three alongside Argentina, Mexico, and Poland.
Matches
| Date | City | Match | Result | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 14, 2018 | Lusail | Saudi Arabia X Argentina | 2 -1 | Saleh Al-Shehri Salem Al-Dawsari |
| June 20, 2018 | Doha | Saudi Arabia X Poland | 0 - 2 | - |
| June 25, 2018 | Lusail | Saudi Arabia X Mexico | 1 - 2 | Salem Al-Dawsari |
Statistics
| Matches | 3 |
|---|---|
| Wins | 1 |
| Draws | 0 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Group standing | 4 |
| Goals scored | 3 |
| Goals conceded | 5 |
| Average goals per match | 1 |
| First-half goals | 0 |
| Second-half goals | 3 |
| Yellow cards | 14 |
| Red cards | 0 |
List of Players
| No. | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Mohammed Al-Rubaie |
| 2 | Sultan Al-Ghannam |
| 3 | Abdullah Madu |
| 4 | Abdulelah Al-Amri |
| 5 | Ali Al-Bulaihi |
| 6 | Mohammed Al-Breik |
| 7 | Salman Al-Faraj (Captain) |
| 8 | Abdulelah Al-Malki |
| 9 | Firas Al-Buraikan |
| 10 | Salem Al-Dawsari |
| 11 | Saleh Al-Shehri |
| 12 | Saud Abdulhamid |
| 13 | Yasser Al-Shahrani |
| 14 | Abdullah Otayf |
| 15 | Ali Al-Hassan |
| 16 | Sami Al-Najei |
| 17 | Hassan Al-Tambakti |
| 18 | Nawaf Al-Abed |
| 19 | Hattan Bahebri |
| 20 | Abdulrahman Al-Aboud |
| 21 | Mohammed Al-Owais |
| 22 | Nawaf Al-Aqidi |
| 23 | Motaz Hawsawi |
| 24 | Nasser Al-Dawsari |
| 25 | Haitham Asiri |
| 26 | Riyadh Sharahili |
| Coach | The French coach Herve Renard |
Seventh participation in 2026
The Saudi Senior National Team participates for the seventh time in the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Under the leadership of their Greek Coach Georgios Donis, the team was drawn into Group H alongside Uruguay, Spain, and Cape Verde.
Matches
| Date | City | Match |
|---|---|---|
| June 14, 2018 | Miami (United States) | Saudi Arabia X Uruguay |
| June 20, 2018 | Atlanta (United States) | Saudi Arabia X Spain |
| June 25, 2018 | Houston (United States) | Saudi Arabia X Cape Verde |
List of Players
| No. | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Nawaf Al-Aqidi |
| 2 | Mohammed Al-Owais |
| 3 | Ahmed Al-Kassar |
| 4 | Moteb Al-Harbi |
| 5 | Hassan Kadesh |
| 6 | Ali Lajami |
| 7 | Hassan Al-Tambakti |
| 8 | Abdulelah Al-Amri |
| 9 | Jihad Thakri |
| 10 | Saud Abdulhamid |
| 11 | Nawaf Boushal |
| 12 | Abdullah Al-Khaibari |
| 13 | Mohammed Kanno |
| 14 | Nasser Al-Dawsari |
| 15 | Ziyad Al-Johani |
| 16 | Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat |
| 17 | Ali Majrashi |
| 18 | Salem Al-Dawsari |
| 19 | Ayman Yahya |
| 20 | Sultan Mandash |
| 21 | Musab Al-Juwayr |
| 22 | Alaa Al-Hajji |
| 23 | Khaled Al-Ghannam |
| 24 | Abdullah Al-Hamdan |
| 25 | Saleh Al-Shehri |
| 26 | Firas Al-Buraikan |
| Coach | The Greek Coach Georgios Donis |