Saudi Arabia national football team explained

Saudi Arabia
Badge:Saudi Arabia national football team logo.svg
Badge Size:182px
Nickname:الصقور العربية (as-Suqūr Al-‘Arabiyyah, "Arabian Falcons")
الصقور الخضر (as-Suqūr al-Khoḍur, "The Green Falcons")
الأخضر (al-'Akhḍar, "The Green")
Association:Saudi Arabian Football Federation
Confederation:AFC (Asia)
Sub-Confederation:WAFF (West Asia)
Website:saff.sa
Coach:Hervé Renard
Captain:Salem Al-Dawsari
Most Caps:[1]
Top Scorer:Majed Abdullah (72)[2]
Home Stadium:Various
Fifa Trigramme:KSA
Fifa Max:21
Fifa Max Date:July 2004
Fifa Min:126
Fifa Min Date:December 2012
Elo Max:27
Elo Max Date:November 1998
Elo Min:112
Elo Min Date:1970, 1972
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Body1:43b88b
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First Game: 1–1
(Beirut, Lebanon; 18 January 1957)
Largest Win: 0–10
(Dili, Timor-Leste; 17 November 2015)
World Cup Apps:6
World Cup First:1994
World Cup Best:Round of 16 (1994)
Regional Name:Asian Cup
Regional Cup Apps:12
Regional Cup First:1984
Regional Cup Best:Champions (1984, 1988, 1996)
Confederations Cup Apps:4
Confederations Cup First:1992
Confederations Cup Best:Runners-up (1992)
2Ndregional Name:Arab Cup
2Ndregional Cup Apps:7
2Ndregional Cup First:1985
2Ndregional Cup Best:Champions (1998, 2002)
3Rdregional Name:Arabian Gulf Cup
3Rdregional Cup Apps:24
3Rdregional Cup First:1970
3Rdregional Cup Best:Champions (1994, 2002, 2003–04)
4Thregional Name:WAFF Championship
4Thregional Cup Apps:3
4Thregional Cup First:2012
4Thregional Cup Best:Group stage (2012, 2014, 2019)

The Saudi Arabia national football team (SAFF) (ar|المنتخب السُّعُودِيّ لِكُرَّةُ الْقَدَم) represents Saudi Arabia in men's international football. They are known as Al-Suqour Al-Arabiyyah (Arabian Falcons) and sometimes 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 knockout stage of a World Cup after Morocco in 1986 and 2022, and one of the few Asian national football teams (the others being Australia, Japan, South Korea and North Korea) to accomplish such a feat to date. During the 2022 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 at the World Cup. However, Saudi Arabia then lost the following matches against Poland and Mexico to finish last.

In 2027, Saudi Arabia will host the AFC Asian Cup, the first time that the nation has ever hosted the Asian Cup.[3] They will also host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.[4]

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, becoming Asian 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 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 achieved, which occurred against South Africa. 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 saw no improvement in 2006 after winning only a single point against Arab rival Tunisia, and squandering a 2–1 lead in the last minutes before losing to Ukraine.[12]

After the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, Saudi Arabia suffered even further setbacks. The Saudis failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in agonizing playoffs that saw them again give up their 2–1 lead to a 2–2 draw to neighbor Bahrain.[13] In the 2011 Asian Cup, the Saudis went on to have their worst-ever Asian Cup performance in 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 World Cup, finishing behind Australia and Oman in the third round. 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. They only won against North Korea.

Revival (2017–present)

Saudi Arabia secured qualification for the 2018 World Cup, their first in 12 years,[15] ahead of Australia. In the first match of Group A and the tournament, Saudi Arabia were crushed by hosts Russia 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 win their final group stage match against Red Sea neighbours Egypt 2–1, coming back from behind after a Mohamed Salah goal.[20]

After the 2018 World Cup, Saudi Arabia participated in the 2019 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]

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 qualified for the 2022 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 their opening game, they upset Argentina 2–1 within the first five minutes of second half with goals from Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari, ending an Argentine unbeaten streak of 36 games dating back to 2019. The Saudi King declared a holiday after the win and Saudi fans celebrated with mocking words against Lionel Messi and the Argentine team.[26] [27] In the next match against Poland, Piotr Zieliński broke Saudi hearts with a goal in the 39th minute and Robert Lewandowski scored his first World Cup goal; between these two goals also included a missed opportunity by Salem Al-Dawsari as the Saudis could not capitalise from their domination, losing 2–0.[28] This required a win against Mexico to advance to the round of 16 regardless of the Argentina–Poland result. Fielding three strikers in front, Saudi Arabia however were unable to exert any domination over the Mexican side, conceding two early second half goals by Henry Martín and Luis Chávez, the second being a thunderous midfield free kick; a late consolation goal by Salem Al-Dawsari was not enough as Saudi Arabia fell 2–1 and were eliminated after finishing last in Group C.[29]

Saudi Arabia, under new manager Roberto Mancini, entered the 2023 Asian Cup with a sense of bitter pride from their World Cup performance, finding itself in Group F with Oman, Kyrgyzstan and Thailand. The Saudis started their campaign with a 2–1 comeback win over neighbour Oman, where Abdulrahman Ghareeb scored from a solo before a late Ali Al-Bulaihi's header sealed the dramatic win.[30] They then achieved a 2–0 win over Kyrgyzstan, where the Saudis were dominant from beginning to end against a nine-man squad.[31] The Saudis rested most of their key players as they held Thailand in a goalless draw to advance and top the group, putting the Saudis against fellow Asian titan South Korea in the last sixteen.[32] Against South Korea, Abdullah Radif opened the scoring in the first minute of the second half, but after conceding a Cho Gue-sung header in the ninth minute of second-half stoppage time, the game was determined by a penalty shootout after 30 minutes of extra time, where the Saudis lost 4–2 on penalties and were eliminated.[33]

Kits and crests

Traditionally, Saudi Arabia's home kit is white with a green trim, and the away kit is green with a white trim (the Saudi flag colors).[34] From 2023, the team had a color kit reversal where green is the home kit, and white is their away kit.

Kit suppliers

Kit supplierPeriod
Admiral1976–1979
Puma1980–1984
Faisok1985–1989
Adidas1990–1993
Shammel1994–2000
Adidas2001–2003
Le Coq Sportif2004–2005
Puma2006–2010
Nike[35] 2011–2022
Adidas[36] 2023–present

Rivalries

See main article: Iran–Saudi Arabia football rivalry and Iraq–Saudi Arabia football rivalry.

Saudi Arabia's main rivals are mostly from the 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. Saudi Arabia has won 4 matches, drew 6 times, and lost 5 against Iran. It is one of the ten most heated rivalries with political influence.[37] [38]

Saudi Arabia's rivalry against Iraq 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.[39] The two countries since then have been up-and-down in relations, often ranging from lack of cooperation to 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.[40] [41]

Outside the Middle East, the Saudis also have established rivalries with South Korea, Japan (including two Asian Cup finals) and most recently Australia.

Venues

Historically, Saudi Arabia played most of their home matches in King Fahd Sports City, located in the capital Riyadh. The stadium was also where some of Saudi Arabia's most important fixtures were played when the country hosted the first three King Fahd Cups (the predecessor of the Confederations Cup). The stadium was also home to some of Saudi Arabia's matches in the World Cup qualifiers.

Saudi Arabia started to diversify the use of venues from outside Riyadh in the 2000s, with the 2002 World Cup qualifying first round being played in Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam and the second round being played entirely in Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium. In the 2006 World Cup qualifying second round against Sri Lanka and the first fixture against Uzbekistan in the third round, Saudi Arabia also played in Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium.

Results and fixtures

See main article: Saudi Arabia national football team results (2020–present). The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

2024

Coaching staff

PositionNameRef.
Head coach Hervé Renard
Assistant coaches David Ducci
Yaya Touré[42]
Alexandre Kerveillant
Mohamed Al-Hamad
Hassan Al-Najdi
Goalkeeping coach Saad Al-Thani
Technical coach Osama Hawsawi
Trainer Jawad Al-Ghamdi
Ayoub Al-Qahtani
Scout Thamer Sulaiman
Technical director Nasser Larguet

Coaching history

No.CoachFirst matchLast match
1Abdulrahman Fawzi611416.67%
2Ali Chaouach210150.00%
3George Skinner30210.00%
4Taha Ismail321066.67%
5Abdo Saleh El Wahsh641166.67%
6Ferenc Puskás16511031.25%
7Bill McGarry1232725.00%
8Ronnie Allen40310.00%
9David Woodfield632150.00%
10Rubens Minelli22931040.91%
11Mário Zagallo1775541.18%
12Khalil Ibrahim Al-Zayani391991148.72%
13Carlos Castilho742157.14%
14Omar Borrás724128.57%
15Carlos Alberto Parreira (1)26109738.46%
16Paulo Massa321066.67%
17Nelsinho Rosa1473450.00%
18Candinho19125263.16%
19Mohammed Al-Kharashy (1)1100100.00%
20Leo Beenhakker412125.00%
21Jorge Solari1242633.33%
22Ivo Wortmann530260.00%
23Mohammed Al-Kharashy (2)1161454.54%
24Zé Mário2095645.00%
25Nelo Vingada25166364.00%
26Otto Pfister (1)832337.50%
27Carlos Alberto Parreira (2)1024420.00%
28Mohammed Al-Kharashy (3)10100.00%
29Otto Pfister (2)1192081.81%
30Milan Máčala26116942.31%
31Nasser Al-Johar (1)13111184.61%
32Slobodan Santrač732242.86%
33Nasser Al-Johar (2)23132856.52%
34Gerard van der Lem26176365.38%
35Martin Koopman1100100.00%
36Nasser Al-Johar (3)532060.00%
37Gabriel Calderón1984742.11%
38Marcos Paquetá301371043.33%
39Hélio dos Anjos22153468.18%
40Nasser Al-Johar (4)18105355.55%
41José Peseiro311212738.71%
42Nasser Al-Johar (5)20020.00%
43Rogério Lourenço421150.00%
44Frank Rijkaard1746723.53%
45Khalid Al-Koroni311133.33%
46Juan Ramón López Caro1994647.37%
47Cosmin Olăroiu410325.00%
48Faisal Al Baden2200100.00%
49Bert van Marwijk20134365.00%
50Edgardo Bauza20020.00%
51Krunoslav Jurčić311133.33%
52Juan Antonio Pizzi
22751031.82%
53Youssef Anbar210150.00%
54Hervé Renard (1)4520101544.45%
55Laurent Bonadéi30120.00%
56Saad Al-Shehri310233.33%
5728 August 202324 October 20241875638.89%
58Hervé Renard (2)Present201100.00%
Notes

Players

Current squad

The following 27 players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification games against and on 14 and 19 November 2024, respectively.[43]

Caps and goals are correct as of 19 November 2024, 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.

Player records

[44]

Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only

Players in bold are still active with Saudi Arabia.

Most appearances

RankPlayerCapsGoalsCareer
1 173 0 1993–2006
2 163 3 1990–2001
3 156 46 1992–2006
4 142 3 1993–2002
5 138 7 2006–2018
138 5 1996–2018
7 134 19 2004–2018
8 133 7 2001–2015
9 121 7 1981–1994
10 118 19 2000–2018

Top goalscorers

RankPlayerGoalsCapsRatioCareer
1 72 116 1978–1994
2 46 156 1992–2006
3 42 108 2002–2013
4 41 94 1994–2002
5 32 60 1998–2006
6 28 422010–2018
28 114 1988–1998
8 26 661992–2000
26 87 1992–1999
10 24 75 1992–1998
24 86 1997–2005

Competitive record

Champion   Runners-up   Third place  

Overview
Event1st Place2nd Place3rd Place
FIFA Confederations Cup010
FIFA Arab Cup211
AFC Asian Cup330
Arabian Gulf Cup378
011
111
Total91411

FIFA World Cup

See main article: Saudi Arabia at the FIFA World Cup.

FIFA World Cup recordQualification record
YearRound
1930 to 1954Not a FIFA memberNot a FIFA member
1958 to 1974Did not enterDid not enter
Did not qualify410337
198210415916
1986201101
19909432119
Round of 1612th42025611650287
Group stage28th30122714932267
32nd3003012141121478
28th301227121020242
Did not qualify168532515
20148332147
Group stage26th3102271812334514
25th3102351813413410
2026Qualification in progress8521155
2030TBDTBD
2034Qualified as hostsQualified as hosts
Total1942131444142843424277107

AFC Asian Cup

See main article: Saudi Arabia at the AFC Asian Cup.

AFC Asian Cup recordQualification record
YearResultPositionPldWDLGFGAPldWDLGFGA
1956Not an AFC memberNot an AFC member
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976Withdrew6312125
1980Withdrew
1984Champions1st6330734400190
1988Champions1st633051Automatic qualification as champions
1992Runners-up2nd522183Automatic qualification as champions
1996Champions 1st63211164400100
2000Runners-up2nd6312118Automatic qualification as champions
2004Group stage13th3012356600311
2007Runners-up2nd64111266501214
2011Group stage15th300318Automatic qualification as runners-up
201510th310255651093
2019Round of 1612th4202638620284
20239th4220528620224
2027Qualified as hosts6411123
Total3 Titles12/1952231514745054437416424

FIFA Arab Cup

FIFA Arab Cup record
YearResultPldWDLGFGA
1963Did not enter
1964
1966
1985Third place 421173
1988Group stage402214
1992Runners-up4 21175
1998Champions4400123
2002Champions6 510113
2009Cancelled
2012Fourth place411265
2021Group stage301213
Total7/102914784526

West Asian Football Federation Championship

WAFF Championship record
YearRound
2000Did not participate
2002
2004
2007
2008
2010
2012Group stage311111
2014201114
2019301215
2023Qualified
Total4/108134310

Arabian Gulf Cup

Arabian Gulf Cup record
YearResultPositionPldWDLGFGA
1970Third place3rd302124
1972Runners-up2nd3210102
1974Runners-up2nd430196
1976Group stage5th6204814
1979Third place3rd6321144
1982Group stage4th521264
1984Third place3rd631298
1986Third place3rd630399
1988Third place3rd623154
1990Withdrew
1992Third place3rd530264
1994Champions1st5410104
1996Third place3rd522186
1998Runners-up2nd532052
2002Champions1st5410103
2003–04Champions1st642082
2004Group stage5th310245
2007Third place3rd421143
2009Runners-up2nd5320100
2010Runners-up2nd522162
2013Group stage5th310223
2014Runners-up2nd531195
2017–18Group stage6th311123
2019Runners-up2nd530275
2023Group stage6th310234
2024--------
Total3 Titles24/25112572530166106

Arab Games

Arab Games record
YearResultPldWDLGFGA
Did not enter
Group stage311143
Fifth place5104438
Did not enter
Runners-up631294
Fourth place430163
Did not enter
First round201123
Third place411255
First round201102
2023–presentSee Saudi Arabia national under-23 football team
Total 7/10 26 9 5 12 30 58

Asian Games

Asian Games record
YearRoundPositionPldWDLGFGA
1951Did not enter
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978Group stage10th302134
1982Semi-finalsThird place632174
1986FinalRunners-up632196
1990Quarter-finals5th321060
1994Quarter-finals5th5302910
1998Did not enter
2002–presentSee Saudi Arabia national under-23 football team
Total Final5/132311753424

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record
YearRoundPosition
1992Runners-up2nd210143
1995Group stage5th200204
19977th310218
1999Fourth place4th5113816
2001Did not qualify
2003
2005
2009
2013
2017
TotalRunners-up4/10123181331

All-time results

See main article: Saudi Arabia national football team results.

The following table shows Saudi Arabia's all-time international record, correct as of 19 November 2024.

Honours

Major competitions

Worldwide

Intercontinental

Continental

Regional

Other titles

Summary

CompetitionTotal
FIFA Confederations Cup0101
AFC Asian Cup3306
Asian Games0112
Afro-Asian Cup of Nations0202
Arab Cup2114
Arabian Gulf Cup37818
Arab Games1112
Total9161135

Titles

Arabian Gulf Cup

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: FIFA Century Club . https://web.archive.org/web/20150905145250/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/stats-centclub/52/00/59/centuryclub290715_neutral.pdf . dead . 5 September 2015 . Fifa.com . 10 September 2016.
  2. Web site: Majed Abdullah . RSSSF . 2 February 2023 . 22 March 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190322084123/http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/abdullah-intl.html . live .
  3. Web site: Saudi Arabia confirmed as hosts of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 . 2023-05-12 . the-AFC . en . 21 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230221161820/https://www.the-afc.com/en/about_afc/afc_congress/news/saudi_arabia_confirmed_as_hosts_of_the_afc_asian_cup_2027.html . live .
  4. News: Panja . Tariq . 15 November 2023 . Inside Man: How FIFA Guided the World Cup to Saudi Arabia . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231117041337/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/15/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-fifa-world-cup.html . 17 November 2023 . 17 November 2023 . The New York Times . 0362-4331.
  5. Web site: 1953.. أول بعثة رياضية إلى الخارج. ar. 13 October 2019. 23 May 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220523152512/https://arriyadiyah.com/614470. live.
  6. Web site: Saudi Arabia - History . 2 February 2023 . 27 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230327200640/https://www.rsssf.org/tabless/sau-intres.html . live .
  7. Web site: Flashback: Saudi Arabia's historic triumph at the 1984 AFC Asian Cup . 2023-05-12 . the-AFC . en.
  8. Web site: Saudi-Arabien - Südkorea 4:3 (Asian Cup 1988 Katar, Finale) . 2023-05-12 . weltfussball.de . de . 12 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230512021524/https://www.weltfussball.de/spielbericht/asian-cup-1988-in-katar-endspiel-saudi-arabien-suedkorea/ . live .
  9. Web site: Flashback To UAE 1996: The Green Falcons win third AFC Asian Cup . 2023-05-12 . the-AFC . en . 12 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230512021525/https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_asian_cup/news/flashback_to_uae_1996_the_green_falcons_win_third_afc_asian_cup.html . live .
  10. Web site: 2007 AFC Asian Cup: Iraq's amazing triumph revisited . 2023-05-12 . the-AFC . en . 15 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230515063016/https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_asian_cup/news/2007_afc_asian_cup%E2%84%A2_lookback_1.html . live .
  11. Web site: 2020-04-07 . When Saudi Arabia dreamed of a World Cup miracle . 2023-05-12 . Arab News . en . 6 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230706072604/https://www.arabnews.com/node/1654841/sport . live .
  12. Web site: One-sided World Cup games[4]- Chinadaily.com.cn ]. 2023-05-12 . www.chinadaily.com.cn . 12 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230512021524/https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports/2014-07/09/content_17693470_4.htm . live .
  13. Web site: vaughanu . 2009-09-10 . Saudi Arabia 2 – 2 Bahrain (agg 2-2): History beckons for Bahrain . 2023-09-15 . Muslim Soccer . en.
  14. Web site: Saudi Arabia make Asian Cup exit . 2023-09-15 . Al Jazeera . en.
  15. News: Saudi Arabia reaches World Cup finals with dramatic win over Japan . 6 September 2017 . 8 November 2017 . . 10 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171110021206/http://www.arabnews.com/node/1156276/sports . live .
  16. Web site: World Cup 2018: Russia thrash Saudi Arabia 5-0 in tournament . Fletcher . Paul . 14 June 2018 . 21 June 2018 . . . Moscow . 15 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180615203938/https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44392911 . live .
  17. Web site: Are Saudi Arabia the worst team ever at a World Cup? . Bond . George . 20 June 2018 . 21 June 2018 . . 21 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180621020039/https://talksport.com/uncategorized/387465/saudi-arabia-worst-team-world-cup/ . live .
  18. News: World Cup: Uruguay defeat Saudi Arabia 1-0, qualify for knockout stages . 20 June 2018 . 21 June 2018 . . 21 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180621015818/http://www.euronews.com/2018/06/20/world-cup-live-uruguay-vs-saudi-arabia . live .
  19. Web site: Highlights: Saudi Arabia beat Egypt as both nations eliminated . 25 June 2018 . 27 June 2018 . . . 27 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180627144325/https://www.itv.com/fifaworldcup/highlights/highlights-saudi-arabia-beat-egypt-as-both-nations-eliminated . live .
  20. Web site: Mohamed Salah scored his second goal of the World Cup but Egypt ended their campaign pointless with defeat by Saudi Arabia at Volgograd Arena . Saj . Chowdhury . . 25 June 2018 . 27 June 2018 . . 24 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200624050459/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44439204 . live .
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