Saudi Arabia National Football Team

The Saudi National Football Team is the official team representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in regional and international football competitions for men, under the supervision of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation since its establishment during the reign of King Saud Bin Abdulaziz on May 18, 1955. June 10, 1956, it joined the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in the same year. 

Saudi national team uniform

The uniform of the Saudi national team embodies the culture of Saudi Arabia and reflects its identity through the green and white colors representative of its flag. Over the years, the Saudi national team's uniform has undergone changes while preserving its fundamental colors. It consists of a home kit worn by players when the team hosts a match, while the away kit is used when the team plays as a guest or when there is a color clash with the host team's kit. The Saudi national team kit features the logo of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, which consists of the head of an Arabian falcon, a palm tree, and a football, blending green and white colors.  

Titles

The Saudi national team is unofficially nicknamed by fans and media with titles such as al-Suqour Al-Khodhur (the Green Falcons), al-Akhdar (the Green), and al-Suqour (the Falcons).

Achievements

The Saudi Senior National Football Team is considered one of the most prominent teams in Asia, having achieved numerous successes—from qualifying for the FIFA World Cup finals to winning continental, Arab, and Gulf championships. These achievements include:

World Cup

The Saudi national team managed to qualify for the World Cup finals seven times throughout its history, as follows:

World Cup 1994

The Saudi national team participated in the qualifiers for the World Cup hosted by the United States in 1994. The first round of qualifiers took place in Kuala Lumpur, where the Saudi team won their opening match against Macau with a score of six goals to nil, drew with Kuwait's team nil-nil, and drew one goal apiece with the Malaysian team. The second-round matches were held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, where the Saudi team topped the group after winning three consecutive matches against Macau, Malaysia, and Kuwait.

The knockout stage of the qualifiers took place in Doha, where the Saudi national team drew nil-nil with Japan, won against North Korea with two goals to one, then drew one goal apiece against Iraq and South Korea. They secured victory against the Iranian team with four goals to three, qualifying for the World Cup finals for the first time.

In the 1994 World Cup held in the United States, the Saudi national team achieved a surprise by qualifying for the round of sixteen for the first time in the tournament's history. Despite starting the tournament with a loss against the Netherlands with a score of two goals to one, they won against Morocco in the second match with a score of two goals to one. They also secured a one-nil victory against Belgium, advancing to the round of sixteen. They faced Sweden but lost the match three goals to one, leading to their elimination from the tournament.

World Cup 1998 in France

The Saudi national team began their qualification campaign for the 1998 World Cup in Shah Alam, Malaysia, where they secured a two-nil victory against the Chinese Taipei team. They then drew nil-nil with the Malaysian team and scored four goals against the Bangladesh team. The Saudi team continued their winning streak in the return matches in Jeddah City, defeating both the Malaysian and Bangladesh teams with three-nil victories, and scoring six clean goals against the Chinese Taipei team. 

In the second stage, they won the first leg against the Kuwait team with two goals to one, drew one-all with Iran in Tehran then lost to China in Dalian with a one-nil scoreline. They secured a victory in Riyadh against Qatar with one goal but suffered a two-one defeat against Kuwait in the return leg in Kuwait. They later won against Iran with a clean goal in Riyadh, drew one-all with China in Riyadh, and clinched a one-nil victory against the Qatar team in Doha allowing the Saudi national team to qualify for the second time. 

In the 1998 World Cup hosted by France, the Saudi national team exited the group stage. They lost one-nil against Denmark and suffered a four-nil defeat against France in their second match. They concluded their matches with a two-all draw against South Africa, bidding farewell to the World Cup at the group stage. 

World Cup 2002 in Japan and South Korea

The Saudi national team participated in the qualifiers for the 2002 World Cup hosted by Japan and South Korea. Topping their group, they scored six goals in their first match against Mongolia in Dammam. They also defeated Bangladesh three-nil and secured a five-nil victory against Vietnam. They repeated their success with another six-goal victory against Mongolia in the return match and scored six goals against Bangladesh. They concluded with a significant win over Vietnam, securing a four-nil victory.

In the second Asian round, the Saudi national team drew one-one with Bahrain in Riyadh, lost two-nil against Iran in Tehran, secured a clean goal against Iraq in Manama, and defeated Thailand in Bangkok three goals to one. They then won four-nil against Bahrain in Manama and drew two-two against Iran in Jeddah. In their match against Iraq in Amman, they won two goals to one and secured a four-one victory against Thailand in Riyadh, officially qualifying for the 2002 World Cup.

For the third consecutive time, the Saudi national team participated in the 2002 World Cup hosted by Japan and South Korea. However, they exited the group stage after losing their first match against Germany with a score of eight-nil. They also lost to Cameroon with a clean goal and concluded their journey in the 2002 World Cup with a three-nil defeat against the Republic of Ireland, exiting the group stage in this edition.

World Cup 2006 in Germany

In the preliminary qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the Saudi national team defeated Indonesia with three goals to nil in Riyadh. They also secured a one-nil victory against Sri Lanka and won three-nil against Turkmenistan in Riyadh. The return match against Turkmenistan in Ashgabat ended with a one-nil win. They triumphed over Indonesia with three goals to one in Jakarta and concluded the first round with a three-goal victory over Sri Lanka in Dammam.

In the second stage of the qualifiers, the Saudi national team drew one goal each with the Uzbekistan team in Tashkent, won against South Korea with two goals to nil in Dammam, and had a scoreless draw with Kuwait in Kuwait. In the return matches, they won with three goals against the Kuwaiti team and repeated the victory with three goals against the Uzbekistan team. In their last match against South Korea in Seoul, they won by a single goal, securing qualification for the World Cup for the fourth consecutive time.

In the 2006 World Cup finals, they started their matches with a draw against the Tunisian team, with two goals each, in the city of Munich. However, they suffered a defeat against Ukraine with a scoreline of four-nil in Hamburg. Their journey in the World Cup came to an end after losing to the Spanish national team with a score of one-nil in Kaiserslautern.

World Cup 2018

In the preliminary qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, the Saudi national team won against the Palestinian team with three goals to two in Dammam. They scored seven clean goals against the East Timor team in Jeddah. They also won against the Malaysian team with three goals to nil in Shah Alam, Malaysia. The Saudi team continued their victories by defeating the United Arab Emirates team with two goals to one in Jeddah. They had a goalless draw with the Palestinian team in Amman and won against the East Timor team with ten goals to nil in Dili. Then they won against the Malaysian team with two clean goals in Jeddah. The first round concluded with a one-one draw against the United Arab Emirates team in Abu Dhabi.

In the second round of qualifiers, the Saudi national team won with a goal against the Thai team and secured a two-one victory against Iraq in Shah Alam, Malaysia. They drew two goals each against the Australian team in Jeddah and won with three goals to nil against the United Arab Emirates team. However, they suffered a two-one defeat against the Japanese team in Saitama. In the return matches, they won with three goals against the Thai team in Bangkok and secured a one-nil victory against Iraq in Jeddah. Unfortunately, they lost three-two against the Australian team in Adelaide and suffered a two-one defeat against the United Arab Emirates team in al-Ain. Nevertheless, they won against the Japanese team with a clean goal in Jeddah, qualifying for the World Cup finals for the fifth time.

In the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Saudi national team played the opening match against the Russian team but lost by five goals to nil. This was followed by another defeat against Uruguay with a one-nil score. In the final match, they won against Egypt with two goals to one but were eliminated from the group stage.

World Cup 2022 in Qatar

The Saudi national team participated in the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The qualifying campaign began with a two-two draw against Yemen in the away match in Manama. They then secured a three-nil victory against Singapore in Buraydah and had a goalless draw against Palestine in Ramallah. In Tashkent, they won three-two against Uzbekistan. In the return leg in Riyadh, the Saudi team scored five goals against Palestine with no reply and won three-nil against Yemen. However, they suffered a three-nil defeat to Singapore. They advanced to the second round after defeating Uzbekistan three-nil.

In the second round of qualifiers, the Saudi national team won three-one against Vietnam in Riyadh, and secured a one-nil victory against Oman in Muscat. They also won one-nil against Japan in Jeddah and secured a three-two victory against China, also in Jeddah. However, they drew nil-nil with Australia in Sydney. In the return matches, they won one-nil against Vietnam in Hanoi, and one-nil against Oman in Jeddah. Nevertheless, they lost two-nil against Japan in Saitama, drew one-one with China in Sharjah, and won one-nil against Australia in Jeddah, securing their sixth appearance in the World Cup finals.

In the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Saudi national team began their campaign with a historic victory over the Argentine team with two goals to one. However, they suffered a two-nil defeat in their match against the Polish team. This was followed by another loss against Mexico with a score of two goals to one, resulting in their elimination from the group stage.

2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico

The Saudi Arabia national senior football team participated in the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The team topped its group in the second round, scoring four goals in its opening match against Pakistan in Al-Ahsa, defeating Jordan 2–0 in Amman, and securing a 1–0 victory over Tajikistan in Riyadh. In the return fixtures, Saudi Arabia drew 1–1 with Tajikistan in Dushanbe, scored three goals against Pakistan in Islamabad, and concluded with a 2–1 win against Jordan in Riyadh.

In the second round of Asian qualification, the Saudi team drew 1–1 with Indonesia in Jeddah, then defeated China 2–1 in Dalian, before losing 0–2 to Japan in Jeddah. This was followed by goalless draws against Bahrain and Australia. In the second leg of matches, the team suffered a 0–2 defeat against Indonesia in Jakarta, then defeated China 1–0 in Riyadh, recorded a 0–0 draw against Japan in Saitama, secured a 2–0 victory over Bahrain in Manama, and lost 1–2 to Australia in Jeddah. Consequently, the Saudi team finished third in its group and advanced to the Asian play-off round to compete for a spot in the 2026 World Cup finals.

In the Asian play-offs, the Saudi team was placed in Group B alongside Indonesia and Iraq, with matches hosted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Saudi team managed a 3–2 victory over Indonesia and played out a goalless draw against Iraq, officially qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

At the 2026 World Cup finals, the draw placed the Saudi team in Group H alongside Uruguay, Spain, and Cape Verde. The Saudi team opened its campaign with a 1–1 draw against Uruguay, with the Saudi goal scored by Abdulelah Al-Amri. In its second match, the team lost 0–4 to Spain, and in the third match, it drew 0–0 with Cape Verde, resulting in an exit from the group stage.

Saudi National Team's World Cup statistics:

Saudi National Team's Confederations Cup

The Saudi Senior National Team participated in the Confederations Cup four times, playing 12 matches across these 4 appearances: won 3, drew 1, and lost 8. They scored 13 goals and conceded 31 goals. The details of their appearances are as follows:

Asian Championship

The Saudi national team's participation in the AFC Asian Cup began in 1984. Across 11 tournament appearances, Saudi Arabia played 52 matches: winning 23, drawing 15, and losing 14. They scored 74 goals, conceded 50 goals, and won the championship title 3 times. Below are their results:

Afro-Asian Cup of Nations

The Afro-Asian Cup of Nations is a tournament that brings together the champions of Asia and Africa. The Saudi national team participated in it twice:

The first appearance was in 1985 against the Cameroon national team. The first leg took place in the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé, ending in a 4–1 victory for Cameroon. In the second leg in Taif, the Saudi national team won 2–1, finishing as runners-up on goal difference.

The second appearance was in 1999 against South Africa, the champions of Africa. The Saudi national team lost the first leg in Cape Town (1–0), and the second leg in Riyadh ended in a 0–0 draw, crowning South Africa as champions.

Arab Championship

The Saudi national team participated in 7 editions of the tournament, starting in 1985. Across these appearances, Saudi Arabia managed to win the Arab Cup title twice: first in 1998 after defeating Qatar 3–1 in Doha, and second in 2002 after a 1–0 victory over Bahrain in Kuwait.

The Saudi national team's participations in the Arab Cup were as follows: 

Gulf Championship

On the regional level, the Saudi national team began its participation in the Arabian Gulf Cup in 1970, appearing in 25 editions of the tournament and playing 118 matches during that span. Saudi Arabia won the title three times: the first in 1994 in the United Arab Emirates, the second when hosting the tournament in 2002, and the third in 2003 in Kuwait.

The results of the Saudi national team in the Arabian Gulf Cup are as follows: