In the FIFA World Cup finals, 139 Saudi players have represented the Saudi national team across six participations up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The highest number of players has participated in the 2022 World Cup, with twenty-six players. The players with the highest number of participations in the FIFA World Cup are Mohammed al-Deayea and Sami al-Jaber, each having participated in four editions.
Saudi National Team Squad in the 1994 FIFA World Cup
The Saudi national team participated in the World Cup for the first time in 1994 in the USA. The group included the Netherlands, Morocco, and Belgium. The twenty-two players representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were: Mohammed al-Deayea, Abdullah Saleh, Mohammed al-Khilaiwi, Ahmed Jamil, Abdullah Sulaiman, Fuad Anwar, Fahad al-Ghesheyan, Fahad al-Harifi, Majed Abdullah, Saeed al-Owairan, Fahad al-Mehallel, Sami al-Jaber, Mohammed Abduljawad, Khalid Massad, Saleh al-Dawod, Talal al-Jabreen, Yasser al-Taifi, Awad al-Anazi, Hamzah Saleh, Hamzah Idris, Hussein al-Sadiq, Ibrahim al-Hilwa.
Saudi National Team Squad in the 1998 FIFA World Cup
The Saudi national team participated in the World Cup for the second time in 1998 in France. The group included Denmark, France, and South Africa. The twenty-two players representing the Kingdom were: Mohammed Al-Deayea, Mohammed Shailah, Mohammed Al-Khilaiwi, Abdullah Sulaiman, Ahmed Jamil, Fuad Anwar, Ibrahim Suwaid, Obeid Al-Dosari, Sami al-Jaber, Saeed al-Owairan, Fahad al-Mehallel, Ibrahim Mater, Hussein Abdulghani, Khalid Massad, Yousuf al-Thunayan, Khamees al-Owairan, Ahmed al-Dokhi, Nawaf al-Temyat, Abdulaziz al-Janoubi, Hamzah Saleh, Hussein al-Sadiq, Taisir al-Natif.
Saudi National Team Squad in the 2002 FIFA World Cup
The Saudi national team participated in the World Cup for the third consecutive time in 2002, co-hosted by South Korea and Japan. The group included Germany, Cameroon, and Ireland. The twenty-three players representing the Kingdom were: Mohammed al-Deayea, Mohammed Shailah, Redha Takar, Abdullah Sulaiman, Mohsen al-Harthi, Fawzi al-Shehri, Ibrahim Suwaid, Mohammed Noor, Sami al-Jaber, Mohammed al-Shalhoub, Obeid al-Dosari, Ahmed al-Dokhi, Hussein Abdulghani, Abdulaziz al-Khathran, Abdullah al-Jamaan, Khamees al-Owairan, Abdullah al-Waked, Nawaf al-Temyat, Omar al-Ghamdi, al-Hassan al-Yami, Mabrouk Zaid, Mohammed al-Khojali, Mansour al-Thaqafi.
Saudi National Team Squad in the 2006 FIFA World Cup
Germany hosted the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and the Kingdom was grouped with Tunisia, Ukraine, and Spain. The twenty-three players representing the Kingdom were: Mabrouk Zaid, Mohammed al-Deayea, Mohammed Khojah, Hamad al-Montashari, Redha Takar, Saud Kariri, Hussein Abdulghani, Mohammed Noor, Ahmed al-Dokhi, Khalid Aziz, Sami al-Jaber, Malek Mouath, Omar al-Ghamdi, Yasser al-Qahtani, Nawaf al-Temyat, Abdulaziz al-Khathran, Mohammed Amin, Saad al-Harthi, Mohammed Massad, Ahmed al-Bahri, Mohammed al-Shalhoub, Mohammed Eid, Naif al-Qadi.
Saudi National Team Squad in the 2018 FIFA World Cup
The Saudi national football team qualified for the World Cup for the fifth time in 2018, held in Russia. The Kingdom was grouped with Russia, Uruguay, and Egypt. The 23 players representing the Kingdom were: Abdullah al-Mayouf, Mohammed al-Owais, Yasser al-Mosailem, Mansour al-Harbi, Osama Hawsawi, Ali al-Bulaihi, Omar Hawsawi, Mohammed al-Breik, Salman al-Faraj, Yahya al-Shehri, Hattan Bahebri, Mohammed al-Sahlawi, Abdulmalek al-Khaibri, Mohammed Kanoo, Yasser al-Shahrani, Abdullah Otayf, Abdullah al-Khaibri, Hussein al-Moqahwi, Taisir al-Jassim, Salem al-Dawsari, Fahad al-Muwallad, Muhannad Asiri, Motaz Hawsawi.
Saudi National Team Squad in the 2022 FIFA World Cup
The Saudi national football team qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar for the sixth time in its history. The draw placed the Kingdom in Group C alongside Argentina, Mexico, and Poland. The twenty-six players representing the Kingdom were: Mohammed al-Owais, Mohammed al-Rubaie, Nawaf al-Aqidi, Sultan al-Ghannam, Abdullah Madu, Abdulelah al-Amri, Ali al-Bulaihi, Mohammed al-Breik, Salman al-Faraj, Abdulelah al-Malki, Firas al-Buraikan, Salem al-Dawsari, Saleh al-Shehri, Saud Abdulhamid, Yasser al-Shahrani, Abdullah Otayf, Ali al-Hassan, Sami al-Najei, Hassan al-Tambakti, Nawaf al-Abed, Hattan Bahebri, Abdulrahman al-Aboud, Mohammed Kanoo, Nasser al-Dawsari, Haitham Asiri, Riyadh Sharahili.
Top Scorers for Saudi Arabia in the FIFA World Cup
Saudi players have scored fourteen goals in the FIFA World Cup finals, with nine different players contributing these goals over six World Cup participations as follows:
He has three FIFA World Cup goals. The first was against Morocco in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the second against South Africa in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and the third against Tunisia in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Salem al-Dawsari
He also has three goals. He scored against Egypt in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, he scored two goals, one against Argentina and the other against Mexico.
Fuad Anwar
He has two FIFA World Cup goals. The first was against the Netherlands in 1994, which was also the Kingdom's first-ever World Cup goal, and the second was against Morocco in the same tournament.
Saeed al-Owairan
He scored his only FIFA World Cup goal against Belgium in 1994, which is considered one of the best FIFA World Cup goals in history.
Fahad al-Ghesheyan
He scored one goal against Sweden in the Round of 16 in the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
Yousuf al-Thunayan
He scored one goal against South Africa in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Yasser al-Qahtani
He scored one goal against Tunisia in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Salman al-Faraj
He scored one goal against Egypt in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Saleh al-Shehri
He scored one goal against Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Most Capped Saudi Players in World Cup Finals
Goalkeeper Mohammed al-Deayea leads with 900 minutes played across four World Cup participations, followed by Hussein Abdulghani with 801 minutes. There are twenty-six players who have played over 300 minutes, while fifty-four players have played between one and 200 minutes. Additionally, eighteen players have zero minutes despite being part of the official squad. The list of the most capped Saudi players in the FIFA World Cup includes twenty-six players as follows:
1- Mohammed al-Deayea: 900 minutes.
2- Hussein Abdulghani: 801 minutes.
3- Abdullah Sulaiman: 740 minutes.
4- Sami al-Jaber: 613 minutes.
5- Redha Takar: 540 minutes.
6- Salem al-Dawsari: 540 minutes.
7- Fuad Anwar: 528 minutes.
8- Mohammed al-Khilaiwi: 469 minutes.
9- Nawaf al-Temyat: 460 minutes.
10- Ibrahim Suwaid: 430 minutes.
11- Mohammed Shaliah: 425 minutes.
12- Saeed al-Owairan: 423 minutes.
13- Khamees al-Owairan: 406 minutes.
14- Hamzah Saleh: 393 minutes.
15- Khalid Massad: 367 minutes.
16- Ahmed Jamil: 360 minutes.
17- Mohammed al-Owais: 360 minutes.
18- Yasser al-Shahrani: 359 minutes.
19- Ahmed al-Dokhi: 350 minutes.
20- Mohammed al-Breik: 336 minutes.
21- Mohammed Noor: 336 minutes.
22- Fahad Al-Harifi: 333 minutes.
23- Mohammed Abduljawad: 325 minutes.
24- Abdulaziz Al-Khathran: 322 minutes.
25- Salman Al-Faraj: 314 minutes.
26- Ali Al-Bulaihi: 307 minutes.
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