Saudi Arabia national football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Saudi Arabia women's national football team.

The Saudi Arabia national football team (SAFF) (Arabic: مُنْتَخَب السُّعُودِيَّة 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).

Saudi Arabia

Nickname(s)	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)
Head coach	Hervé Renard
Captain	Salem Al-Dawsari
Most caps	Mohamed Al-Deayea (173)[1]
Top scorer	Majed Abdullah (72)[2]
Home stadium	Various
FIFA code	KSA
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	58 1 (3 April 2025)[3]
Highest	21 (July 2004)
Lowest	126 (December 2012)
First international
Lebanon 1–1 Saudi Arabia  (Beirut, Lebanon; 18 January 1957)
Biggest win
Timor-Leste 0–10 Saudi Arabia  (Dili, Timor-Leste; 17 November 2015)
Biggest defeat
United Arab Republic 13–0 Saudi Arabia  (Casablanca, Morocco; 3 September 1961)
World Cup
Appearances	6 (first in 1994)
Best result	Round of 16 (1994)
AFC Asian Cup
Appearances	12 (first in 1984)
Best result	Champions (1984, 1988, 1996)
Arab Cup
Appearances	7 (first in 1985)
Best result	Champions (1998, 2002)
Arabian Gulf Cup
Appearances	24 (first in 1970)
Best result	Champions (1994, 2002, 2003–04)
WAFF Championship
Appearances	3 (first in 2012)
Best result	Group stage (2012, 2014, 2019)
Confederations Cup
Appearances	4 (first in 1992)
Best result	Runners-up (1992)
Medal record Men's football FIFA Confederations Cup Saudi Arabia 1992 Squad FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 1998 Squad Kuwait 2002 Squad Syria 1992 Squad Saudi Arabia 1985 Squad AFC Asian Cup Singapore 1984 Squad Qatar 1988 Squad UAE 1996 Squad Japan 1992 Squad Lebanon 2000 Squad Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand-Vietnam 2007 Squad Asian Games Seoul 1986 Squad New Delhi 1982 Squad Arab Games Damascus 1976 Squad Cairo 2007 Squad
Website	saff.sa

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 FIFA 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 FIFA 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 AFC Asian Cup.^[4] They will also host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.^[5]

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.^[6]

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.^[7]

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.^[8] Since then, they reached the next four consecutive Asian Cup finals, winning two of them (1988 and 1996).^[9][10] They have qualified for every AFC Asian Cup since, reaching the final in the 2007 edition.^[11]

Saudi national team, 1984

Saudi Arabia facing China in the 1984 AFC Asian Cup

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.^[12] Saudi Arabia qualified for the next three FIFA World Cups, but failed to win a match in any of them; in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, 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 the 2002 FIFA World Cup without scoring a goal, while conceding 12, including eight against Germany, the most humiliating FIFA World Cup performance ever by an Asian team since 1954, and the team saw no improvement in the 2006 FIFA World Cup after winning only a single point against Arab rival Tunisia, and squandering a 2–1 lead in the last minutes before losing to Ukraine.^[13]

After the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, Saudi Arabia suffered even further setbacks. The Saudis failed to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in agonizing playoffs that saw them again give up their 2–1 lead to a 2–2 draw to neighbor Bahrain.^[14] In the 2011 AFC 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.^[15] Later on, Saudi Arabia failed to qualify for the 2014 FIFA 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 FIFA World Cup, their first in 12 years,^[16] ahead of Australia. In the first match of Group A and the tournament, Saudi Arabia were crushed by hosts Russia 5–0,^[17] making this the second largest victory of any host.^[18] Saudi Arabia then lost 1–0 to a Luis Suárez goal that put Uruguay as the eventual group winners.^[19] Although they were already eliminated,^[20] 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.^[21]

After the 2018 World Cup, Saudi Arabia participated in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, held in the United Arab Emirates; the team finished second in the group stage, after falling to Qatar in the final game,^[22] 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.^[23]

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.^[24] The game ended in a scoreless draw.^[25]

Saudi Arabia against Egypt in the 2018 World Cup

Saudi Arabia qualified for the 2022 FIFA 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.^[26] In their opening game, they upset Argentina 2–1 within the first five minutes of the 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.^[27][28] In the next match against Poland, Piotr Zieliński opened proceedings with a goal in the 39th minute and Robert Lewandowski scored the second goal; resulting in a 2–0 loss.^[29] 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.^[30]

Saudi Arabia, under new manager Roberto Mancini, entered the 2023 AFC Asian Cup 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.^[31] They then achieved a 2–0 win over Kyrgyzstan, where the Saudis were dominant from beginning to end against a nine-man squad.^[32] 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 South Korea in the last sixteen.^[33] 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.^[34]

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).^[35] From 2023, the team had a color kit reversal where green is the home kit, and white is their away kit.

Kit suppliers

Kit supplier	Period
Admiral	1976–1979
Puma	1980–1984
Faisok	1985–1989
Adidas	1990–1993
Shammel	1994–2000
Adidas	2001–2003
Le Coq Sportif	2004–2005
Puma	2006–2010
Nike[36]	2011–2023
Adidas[37]	2023–2025
Fila	2025-present

Rivalries

Main articles: Iran–Saudi Arabia football rivalry and Iraq–Saudi Arabia football rivalry

Saudi Arabia's main rivals are mostly from the Arabian 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.^[38][39]

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.^[40] 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.^[41][42]

Outside the Middle East, the Saudis also have established rivalries with South Korea, Japan (including two Asian Cup finals) and most recently Australia.^{[citation needed]}

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 FIFA Confederations Cup). The stadium was also home to some of Saudi Arabia's matches in the FIFA 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 FIFA 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.^{[citation needed]}

Results and fixtures

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.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2024

Pakistan  v  Saudi Arabia

6 June 2026 World Cup qualification	Pakistan	0–3	Saudi Arabia	Islamabad, Pakistan
20:30 UTC+5		Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Al-Buraikan 26', 41' Al-Juwayr 59'	Stadium: Jinnah Sports Stadium Attendance: 20,124 Referee: Ammar Mahfoodh (Bahrain)

Saudi Arabia  v  Jordan

11 June 2026 World Cup qualification	Saudi Arabia	1–2	Jordan	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
21:00 UTC+3	Lajami 16'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Olwan 27' Al-Rawabdeh 45+2'	Stadium: King Saud University Stadium Attendance: 17,871 Referee: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)

Saudi Arabia  v  Indonesia

5 September 2026 World Cup qualification R3	Saudi Arabia	1–1	Indonesia	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
21:00 UTC+3	Al-Juwayr 45+3'	Report	Walsh 19'	Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City Attendance: 42,385 Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)

China  v  Saudi Arabia

10 September 2026 World Cup qualification R3	China	1–2	Saudi Arabia	Dalian, China
20:00 UTC+8	Lajami 14' (o.g.)	Report	Kadesh 39', 90'	Stadium: Dalian Suoyuwan Football Stadium Attendance: 48,628 Referee: Nasrullo Kabirov (Tajikistan)

Saudi Arabia  v  Japan

10 October 2026 World Cup qualification R3	Saudi Arabia	0–2	Japan	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
21:00 UTC+3		Report	Kamada 14' Ogawa 82'	Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City Attendance: 65,000 Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)

Saudi Arabia  v  Bahrain

15 October 2026 World Cup qualification R3	Saudi Arabia	0–0	Bahrain	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
21:00 UTC+3		Report		Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City Attendance: 35,437 Referee: Salman Falahi (Qatar)

Australia  v  Saudi Arabia

14 November 2026 World Cup qualification R3	Australia	0–0	Saudi Arabia	Melbourne, Australia
20:10 UTC+11		Report		Stadium: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium Attendance: 27,491 Referee: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)

Indonesia  v  Saudi Arabia

19 November 2026 World Cup qualification R3	Indonesia	2–0	Saudi Arabia	Jakarta, Indonesia
19:00 UTC+7	Marselino 32', 57'	Report		Stadium: Gelora Bung Karno Stadium Attendance: 55,970 Referee: Rustam Lutfullin (Uzbekistan)

Saudi Arabia  v  Trinidad and Tobago

17 December Friendly	Saudi Arabia	3–1	Trinidad and Tobago	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
16:15 UTC+3	Al-Shehri 13' (pen.) Al-Hamdan 53' N. Al-Dawsari 88'	Report Report	Jack 90+4'	Stadium: Al-Shabab Club Stadium

Saudi Arabia  v  Bahrain

22 December 26th Arabian Gulf Cup	Saudi Arabia	2–3	Bahrain	Kuwait City, Kuwait
20:30 UTC+3	Al-Juwayr 73' Al-Shehri 86' (pen.)	Report	Abduljabbar 19' Al-Humaidan 38' Marhoon 76'	Stadium: Jaber International Stadium Attendance: 7,726 Referee: Ahmad Al-Ali (Kuwait)

Yemen  v  Saudi Arabia

25 December 26th Arabian Gulf Cup	Yemen	2–3	Saudi Arabia	Kuwait City, Kuwait
17:25 UTC+3	Al-Zubaidi 8' Sabarah 27'	Report	Kanno 30' Al-Juwayr 57' (pen.) Al-Hamdan 90+3'	Stadium: Sulaibikhat Stadium Attendance: 9,200 Referee: Qasim Al-Hatmi (Oman)

Iraq  v  Saudi Arabia

28 December 26th Arabian Gulf Cup	Iraq	1–3	Saudi Arabia	Kuwait City, Kuwait
17:30 UTC+3	Mohanad Ali 64'	Report	Al-Dawsari 57' (pen.) Al-Hamdan 81', 86'	Stadium: Jaber International Stadium Attendance: 54,942 Referee: István Kovács (Romania)

Oman  v  Saudi Arabia

31 December 26th Arabian Gulf Cup SF	Oman	2–1	Saudi Arabia	Kuwait City, Kuwait
17:30 UTC+3	A. Al-Alawi 74' Al-Busaidi 85'	Report	Kanno 87'	Stadium: Sulaibikhat Stadium Attendance: 10,500 Referee: Halil Umut Meler (Turkey)

2025

Saudi Arabia  v  China

20 March 2026 World Cup qualification R3	Saudi Arabia	1–0	China	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
21:15 UTC+3	S. Al-Dawsari 50'	Report		Stadium: King Saud University Stadium Attendance: 24,742 Referee: Omar Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)

Japan  v  Saudi Arabia

25 March 2026 World Cup qualification R3	Japan	0–0	Saudi Arabia	Saitama, Japan
19:35 UTC+9		Report		Stadium: Saitama Stadium 2002

Bahrain  v  Saudi Arabia

5 June 2026 World Cup qualification R3	Bahrain	v	Saudi Arabia	Riffa, Bahrain
--:-- UTC+3		Report		Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium

Saudi Arabia  v  Australia

10 June 2026 World Cup qualification R3	Saudi Arabia	v	Australia	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
--:-- UTC+3				Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium

Saudi Arabia  v  Haiti

15 June 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup	Saudi Arabia	v	Haiti	San Diego, United States
17:15 UTC−7				Stadium: Snapdragon Stadium

Saudi Arabia  v  United States

19 June 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup	Saudi Arabia	v	United States	Austin, United States
20:15 UTC−5				Stadium: Q2 Stadium

Saudi Arabia  v  Trinidad and Tobago

22 June 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup	Saudi Arabia	v	Trinidad and Tobago	Paradise, United States
16:00 UTC−7				Stadium: Allegiant Stadium

Coaching staff

Hervé Renard became the manager of the national football team of Saudi Arabia in 2024

As of 27 October 2024

Position	Name	Ref.
Head coach	Hervé Renard
Assistant coaches	David Ducci
	Alexandre Kerveillant
	François Rodrigues
	Mohammed Amin
Goalkeeping coach
Technical coach	Osama Hawsawi
Trainer
Scout
Technical director	Nasser Larguet	[43]

Coaching history

No.	Coach	Nat	First match	Last match	Pld	W	D	L	Win %
1	Abdulrahman Fawzi		18 October 1957	6 September 1961	6	1	1	4	16.67%
2	Ali Chaouach		1 December 1967	17 January 1969	2	1	0	1	50.00%
3	George Skinner		28 March 1970	2 April 1970	3	0	2	1	0.00%
4	Taha Ismail		16 March 1972	28 March 1972	3	2	1	0	66.67%
5	Abdo Saleh El Wahsh		6 March 1974	29 March 1974	6	4	1	1	66.67%
6	Ferenc Puskás		21 November 1975	11 April 1976	16	5	1	10	31.25%
7	Bill McGarry		5 September 1976	22 April 1977	12	3	2	7	25.00%
8	Ronnie Allen		15 November 1978	14 December 1978	4	0	3	1	0.00%
9	David Woodfield		24 March 1979	8 April 1979	6	3	2	1	50.00%
10	Rubens Minelli		30 January 1980	19 December 1981	22	9	3	10	40.91%
11	Mário Zagallo		21 March 1982	17 March 1984	17	7	5	5	41.18%
12	Khalil Ibrahim Al-Zayani		20 March 1984	5 April 1986	39	19	9	11	48.72%
13	Carlos Castilho		7 September 1986	5 October 1986	7	4	2	1	57.14%
14	Omar Borrás		17 February 1988	18 March 1988	7	2	4	1	28.57%
15	Carlos Alberto Parreira (1)		21 April 1988	28 October 1989	26	10	9	7	38.46%
16	Paulo Massa		24 September 1990	1 October 1990	3	2	1	0	66.67%
17	Nelsinho Rosa		11 September 1992	10 December 1992	14	7	3	4	50.00%
18	Candinho		9 April 1993	24 October 1993	19	12	5	2	63.16%
19	Mohammed Al-Kharashy (1)		28 October 1993	28 October 1993	1	1	0	0	100.00%
20	Leo Beenhakker		23 January 1994	9 February 1994	4	1	2	1	25.00%
21	Jorge Solari		26 March 1994	3 July 1994	12	4	2	6	33.33%
22	Ivo Wortmann		1 October 1994	13 October 1994	5	3	0	2	60.00%
23	Mohammed Al-Kharashy (2)		19 October 1994	8 January 1995	11	6	1	4	54.54%
24	Zé Mário		8 October 1995	27 October 1996	20	9	5	6	45.00%
25	Nelo Vingada		6 November 1996	11 October 1997	25	16	6	3	64.00%
26	Otto Pfister (1)		17 October 1997	16 December 1997	8	3	2	3	37.50%
27	Carlos Alberto Parreira (2)		22 February 1998	18 June 1998	10	2	4	4	20.00%
28	Mohammed Al-Kharashy (3)		24 June 1998	24 June 1998	1	0	1	0	0.00%
29	Otto Pfister (2)		11 September 1998	11 November 1998	11	9	2	0	81.81%
30	Milan Máčala		18 June 1999	14 October 2000	26	11	6	9	42.31%
31	Nasser Al-Johar (1)		17 October 2000	19 February 2001	13	11	1	1	84.61%
32	Slobodan Santrač		10 July 2001	24 August 2001	7	3	2	2	42.86%
33	Nasser Al-Johar (2)		31 August 2001	11 June 2002	23	13	2	8	56.52%
34	Gerard van der Lem		17 December 2002	26 July 2004	26	17	6	3	65.38%
35	Martin Koopman		30 December 2002	30 December 2002	1	1	0	0	100.00%
36	Nasser Al-Johar (3)		1 September 2004	17 November 2004	5	3	2	0	60.00%
37	Gabriel Calderón		11 December 2004	8 December 2005	19	8	4	7	42.11%
38	Marcos Paquetá		18 January 2006	27 January 2007	30	13	7	10	43.33%
39	Hélio dos Anjos		24 June 2007	7 June 2008	22	15	3	4	68.18%
40	Nasser Al-Johar (4)		14 June 2008	11 February 2009	18	10	5	3	55.55%
41	José Peseiro		22 March 2009	9 January 2011	31	12	12	7	38.71%
42	Nasser Al-Johar (5)		13 January 2011	17 January 2011	2	0	0	2	0.00%
43	Rogério Lourenço		13 July 2011	28 July 2011	4	2	1	1	50.00%
44	Frank Rijkaard		2 September 2011	12 January 2013	17	4	6	7	23.53%
45	Khalid Al-Koroni		9 December 2012	15 December 2012	3	1	1	1	33.33%
46	Juan Ramón López Caro		6 February 2013	26 November 2014	19	9	4	6	47.37%
47	Cosmin Olăroiu		30 December 2014	18 January 2015	4	1	0	3	25.00%
48	Faisal Al Baden		30 March 2015	11 June 2015	2	2	0	0	100.00%
49	Bert van Marwijk		3 September 2015	9 November 2017	20	13	4	3	65.00%
50	Edgardo Bauza		10 November 2017	13 November 2017	2	0	0	2	0.00%
51	Krunoslav Jurčić		22 December 2017	28 December 2017	3	1	1	1	33.33%
52	Juan Antonio Pizzi		26 February 2018	21 January 2019	22	7	5	10	31.82%
53	Youssef Anbar		21 March 2019	25 March 2019	2	1	0	1	50.00%
54	Hervé Renard (1)		5 September 2019	28 March 2023	45	20	10	15	44.45%
55	Laurent Bonadéi[a]		1 December 2021	7 December 2021	3	0	1	2	0.00%
56	Saad Al-Shehri[b]		6 January 2023	23 August 2023	3	1	0	2	33.33%
57	Roberto Mancini		28 August 2023	24 October 2024	18	7	5	6	38.89%
58	Hervé Renard (2)		27 October 2024	Present	7	3	1	3	42.86%

Notes

1. The assistant coach, Laurent Bonadéi took charge of the national team temporarily for the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup.
2. The assistant coach, Saad Al-Shehri took charge of the national team temporarily for the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup. He was once again named interim coach following Hervé Renard's resignation.

Players

Current squad

• The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification games against  Bahrain and  Australia in June 2025.^[44]

• Caps and goals are correct as of 25 March 2025, after the match against  Japan, as recognized by SAFF.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Nawaf Al-Aqidi	(2000-05-10) 10 May 2000 (age 25)	7	0	Al-Fateh
21	1GK	Hamed Al-Shanqiti	(2005-04-26) 26 April 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Al-Ittihad
22	1GK	Ahmed Al-Kassar	(1991-05-08) 8 May 1991 (age 34)	8	0	Al-Qadsiah
	1GK	Meshari Sunyur	(2001-12-05) 5 December 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Al-Raed
2	2DF	Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti	(1999-03-12) 12 March 1999 (age 26)	4	0	Al-Ittihad
3	2DF	Saad Al-Mousa	(2002-12-10) 10 December 2002 (age 22)	1	0	Al-Ittihad
4	2DF	Ali Lajami	(1996-04-24) 24 April 1996 (age 29)	18	1	Al-Nassr
5	2DF	Jehad Thakri	(2001-07-21) 21 July 2001 (age 23)	1	0	Al-Qadsiah
12	2DF	Ali Majrashi	(1999-10-01) 1 October 1999 (age 25)	4	0	Al-Ahli
13	2DF	Nawaf Boushal	(1999-09-16) 16 September 1999 (age 25)	6	0	Al-Nassr
14	2DF	Hassan Kadesh	(1992-09-27) 27 September 1992 (age 32)	12	2	Al-Ittihad
17	2DF	Hassan Al-Tambakti	(1999-02-09) 9 February 1999 (age 26)	40	0	Al-Hilal
	2DF	Saud Abdulhamid	(1999-07-18) 18 July 1999 (age 25)	42	1	Roma
6	3MF	Nasser Al-Dawsari	(1998-12-19) 19 December 1998 (age 26)	30	0	Al-Hilal
7	3MF	Musab Al-Juwayr	(2003-06-20) 20 June 2003 (age 21)	17	5	Al-Shabab
10	3MF	Salem Al-Dawsari	(1991-08-19) 19 August 1991 (age 33)	96	25	Al-Hilal
15	3MF	Ayman Yahya	(2001-05-14) 14 May 2001 (age 24)	14	0	Al-Nassr
16	3MF	Faisal Al-Ghamdi	(2001-08-13) 13 August 2001 (age 23)	14	1	Beerschot
18	3MF	Muhannad Al-Saad	(2003-06-29) 29 June 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Dunkerque
19	3MF	Turki Al-Ammar	(1999-09-23) 23 September 1999 (age 25)	10	1	Al-Qadsiah
23	3MF	Ziyad Al-Johani	(2001-11-11) 11 November 2001 (age 23)	1	0	Al-Ahli
	3MF	Mohamed Kanno	(1994-09-22) 22 September 1994 (age 30)	62	5	Al-Hilal
	3MF	Ahmed Al-Ghamdi	(2001-09-21) 21 September 2001 (age 23)	3	0	Neom
8	4FW	Marwan Al-Sahafi	(2004-02-17) 17 February 2004 (age 21)	7	0	Beerschot
9	4FW	Firas Al-Buraikan	(2000-05-14) 14 May 2000 (age 25)	49	9	Al-Ahli
11	4FW	Abdullah Al-Hamdan	(1999-09-13) 13 September 1999 (age 25)	38	8	Al-Hilal
20	4FW	Abdullah Al-Salem	(1992-12-19) 19 December 1992 (age 32)	1	0	Al-Khaleej

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Saudi Arabia squad within the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Mohammed Al-Owais	(1991-10-10) 10 October 1991 (age 33)	61	0	Al-Hilal	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
GK	Mohammed Al-Rubaie	(1997-08-14) 14 August 1997 (age 27)	7	0	Al-Hilal	26th Arabian Gulf Cup PRE
GK	Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi	(2001-02-03) 3 February 2001 (age 24)	0	0	Al-Ahli	v.  Indonesia, 19 November 2024
GK	Raghed Al-Najjar	(1996-09-20) 20 September 1996 (age 28)	1	0	Al-Nassr	v.  Bahrain, 15 October 2024
DF	Ali Al-Bulaihi	(1989-11-21) 21 November 1989 (age 35)	60	2	Al-Hilal	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
DF	Sultan Al-Ghannam	(1994-05-06) 6 May 1994 (age 31)	38	0	Al-Nassr	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
DF	Awn Al-Saluli	(1998-09-02) 2 September 1998 (age 26)	10	0	Al-Taawoun	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
DF	Yasser Al-Shahrani	(1992-03-25) 25 March 1992 (age 33)	82	2	Al-Hilal	26th Arabian Gulf Cup INJ
DF	Abdulelah Al-Amri	(1997-01-15) 15 January 1997 (age 28)	28	1	Al-Ittihad	26th Arabian Gulf Cup INJ
DF	Rayan Hamed	(2002-04-13) 13 April 2002 (age 23)	3	0	Al-Ahli	v.  Bahrain, 15 October 2024
DF	Hussain Al-Sibyani	(2001-06-24) 24 June 2001 (age 23)	1	0	Al-Shabab	v.  Bahrain, 15 October 2024
DF	Meshal Al-Sebyani	(2001-04-11) 11 April 2001 (age 24)	2	0	Al-Ettifaq	v.  Japan, 10 October 2024
DF	Moteb Al-Harbi	(2000-02-20) 20 February 2000 (age 25)	7	0	Al-Hilal	v.  Indonesia, 5 September 2024
DF	Mohammed Al-Breik	(1992-09-15) 15 September 1992 (age 32)	46	1	Neom	v.  Jordan, 11 June 2024
MF	Abdulellah Al-Malki	(1994-10-11) 11 October 1994 (age 30)	39	0	Al-Ettifaq	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
MF	Mohammed Al-Qahtani	(2002-07-23) 23 July 2002 (age 22)	7	0	Al-Hilal	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
MF	Abdulelah Hawsawi	(2001-06-02) 2 June 2001 (age 23)	4	0	Al-Ittihad	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
MF	Abdulmalik Al-Oyayari	(2003-12-10) 10 December 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Neom	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
MF	Ayman Fallatah	(2003-10-02) 2 October 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Damac	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
MF	Abdullah Al-Khaibari	(1996-08-16) 16 August 1996 (age 28)	26	0	Al-Nassr	26th Arabian Gulf Cup INJ
MF	Saad Al-Nasser	(2001-01-08) 8 January 2001 (age 24)	3	0	Al-Taawoun	v.  Indonesia, 19 November 2024
MF	Salman Al-Faraj	(1989-08-01) 1 August 1989 (age 35)	73	9	Neom	v.  Australia, 14 November 2024 INJ
MF	Abdulrahman Ghareeb	(1997-03-31) 31 March 1997 (age 28)	31	3	Al-Nassr	v.  Bahrain, 15 October 2024
MF	Ali Al-Asmari	(1997-01-12) 12 January 1997 (age 28)	5	0	Al-Ahli	v.  Bahrain, 15 October 2024
MF	Hamed Al-Ghamdi	(1999-04-02) 2 April 1999 (age 26)	3	0	Al-Ittihad	v.  Bahrain, 15 October 2024
MF	Fahad Al-Muwallad	(1994-09-14) 14 September 1994 (age 30)	80	17	Al-Shabab	v.  China, 10 September 2024
MF	Mukhtar Ali	(1997-10-30) 30 October 1997 (age 27)	13	0	Al-Nassr	v.  China, 10 September 2024
MF	Abbas Al-Hassan	(2004-02-22) 22 February 2004 (age 21)	4	0	Neom	v.  Indonesia, 5 September 2024
MF	Sami Al-Najei	(1997-02-07) 7 February 1997 (age 28)	22	2	Al-Nassr	v.  Jordan, 11 June 2024
FW	Abdullah Radif	(2003-01-20) 20 January 2003 (age 22)	23	2	Al-Ettifaq	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
FW	Abdulaziz Al-Othman	(2004-01-02) 2 January 2004 (age 21)	1	0	Al-Qadsiah	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
FW	Saleh Al-Shehri	(1993-11-01) 1 November 1993 (age 31)	39	16	Al-Ittihad	26th Arabian Gulf Cup INJ
FW	Haroune Camara	(1998-01-01) 1 January 1998 (age 27)	12	0	Al-Shabab	26th Arabian Gulf Cup PRE
FW	Mohammed Maran	(2001-02-15) 15 February 2001 (age 24)	8	0	Al-Nassr	v.  Bahrain, 15 October 2024
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

As of 26 March 2025^[45]

Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only

Players in bold are still active with Saudi Arabia.

Most appearances

Main article: List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps

Mohamed Al-Deayea is Saudi Arabia's most capped player with 173 appearances.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Mohamed Al-Deayea[i]	173	0	1993–2006
2	Mohammed Al-Khilaiwi	163	3	1990–2001
3	Sami Al-Jaber	156	46	1992–2006
4	Abdullah Zubromawi	142	3	1993–2002
5	Osama Hawsawi	138	7	2006–2018
	Hussein Abdulghani	138	5	1996–2018
7	Taisir Al-Jassim	134	19	2004–2018
8	Saud Kariri	133	7	2001–2015
9	Mohamed Abd Al-Jawad	121	7	1981–1994
10	Mohammad Al-Shalhoub	118	19	2000–2018

1. Some sources have Al-Deayea listed with 178 appearances but this includes matches played against Olympic sides, matches that are not considered official for his teammates Sami Al-Jaber or Abdullah Zubromawi.^[46][47][48]

Top goalscorers

See also: List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals

Majed Abdullah is Saudi Arabia's top scorer with 72 goals.

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Majed Abdullah	72	116	0.61	1978–1994
2	Sami Al-Jaber	46	156	0.29	1992–2006
3	Yasser Al-Qahtani	42	108	0.39	2002–2013
4	Obeid Al-Dosari	41	94	0.44	1994–2002
5	Talal Al-Meshal	32	60	0.53	1998–2006
6	Mohammad Al-Sahlawi	28	42	0.67	2010–2018
	Khaled Al-Muwallid	28	114	0.25	1988–1998
8	Hamzah Idris	26	66	0.39	1992–2000
	Fahad Al-Mehallel	26	87	0.3	1992–1999
10	Salem Al-Dawsari	25	96	0.26	2012–present

Competitive record

Saudi players warm-up before their match against Ukraine during the 2006 FIFA World Cup (19 June 2006)

Saudi Arabia players before the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening fixture, against hosts Russia in Group A.

*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  

Overview
Event	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
FIFA Confederations Cup	0	1	0
FIFA Arab Cup	2	1	1
AFC Asian Cup	3	3	0
Arabian Gulf Cup	3	7	8
Asian Games	0	1	1
Arab Games	1	1	1
Total	9	14	11

FIFA World Cup

Main article: Saudi Arabia at the FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1954	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1958 to 1974	Did not enter									Did not enter
1978	Did not qualify									4	1	0	3	3	7
1982										10	4	1	5	9	16
1986										2	0	1	1	0	1
1990										9	4	3	2	11	9
1994	Round of 16	12th	4	2	0	2	5	6		11	6	5	0	28	7
1998	Group stage	28th	3	0	1	2	2	7		14	9	3	2	26	7
2002		32nd	3	0	0	3	0	12		14	11	2	1	47	8
2006		28th	3	0	1	2	2	7		12	10	2	0	24	2
2010	Did not qualify									16	8	5	3	25	15
2014										8	3	3	2	14	7
2018	Group stage	26th	3	1	0	2	2	7		18	12	3	3	45	14
2022		25th	3	1	0	2	3	5		18	13	4	1	34	10
2026	Qualification in progress									14	6	5	3	16	9
2030	TBD									TBD
2034	Qualified as hosts									Qualified as hosts
Total	Round of 16	6/17	19	4	2	13	14	44		150	87	37	26	282	112

AFC Asian Cup

Main article: Saudi Arabia at the AFC Asian Cup

The Final of the 1984 AFC Asian Cup, against China. Saudi Arabia won their first AFC Asian Cup in their first entry to the competition.

AFC Asian Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1956	Not an AFC member									Not an AFC member
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976	Qualified but withdrew									6	3	1	2	12	5
1980	Withdrew									Withdrew
1984	Champions	1st	6	3	3	0	7	3		4	4	0	0	19	0
1988	Champions	1st	6	3	3	0	5	1		Automatic qualification as champions
1992	Runners-up	2nd	5	2	2	1	8	3		Automatic qualification as champions
1996	Champions	1st	6	3	2	1	11	6		4	4	0	0	10	0
2000	Runners-up	2nd	6	3	1	2	11	8		Automatic qualification as champions
2004	Group stage	13th	3	0	1	2	3	5		6	6	0	0	31	1
2007	Runners-up	2nd	6	4	1	1	12	6		6	5	0	1	21	4
2011	Group stage	15th	3	0	0	3	1	8		Automatic qualification as runners-up
2015		10th	3	1	0	2	5	5		6	5	1	0	9	3
2019	Round of 16	12th	4	2	0	2	6	3		8	6	2	0	28	4
2023		9th	4	2	2	0	5	2		8	6	2	0	22	4
2027	Qualified as hosts									6	4	1	1	12	3
Total	3 Titles	12/19	52	23	15	14	74	50		54	43	7	4	164	24

CONCACAF Gold Cup

CONCACAF Gold Cup record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2025	Invited
2027

FIFA Arab Cup

FIFA Arab Cup record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1963	Did not enter
1964
1966
1985	Third place	4	2	1	1	7	3
1988	Group stage	4	0	2	2	1	4
1992	Runners-up	4	2	1	1	7	5
1998	Champions	4	4	0	0	12	3
2002	Champions	6	5	1	0	11	3
2009	Cancelled
2012	Fourth place	4	1	1	2	6	5
2021	Group stage	3	0	1	2	1	3
2025	To be determined
Total	7/10	29	14	7	8	45	26

West Asian Football Federation Championship

WAFF Championship record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2000	Did not participate
2002
2004
2007
2008
2010
2012	Group stage	3	1	1	1	1	1
2014		2	0	1	1	1	4
2019		3	0	1	2	1	5
2023	Qualified
Total	4/10	8	1	3	4	3	10

Gulf Cup

Gulf Cup record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1970	Third place	3rd	3	0	2	1	2	4
1972	Runners-up	2nd	3	2	1	0	10	2
1974	Runners-up	2nd	4	3	0	1	9	6
1976	Group stage	5th	6	2	0	4	8	14
1979	Third place	3rd	6	3	2	1	14	4
1982	Group stage	4th	5	2	1	2	6	4
1984	Third place	3rd	6	3	1	2	9	8
1986	Third place	3rd	6	3	0	3	9	9
1988	Third place	3rd	6	2	3	1	5	4
1990	Withdrew
1992	Third place	3rd	5	3	0	2	6	4
1994	Champions	1st	5	4	1	0	10	4
1996	Third place	3rd	5	2	2	1	8	6
1998	Runners-up	2nd	5	3	2	0	5	2
2002	Champions	1st	5	4	1	0	10	3
2003–04	Champions	1st	6	4	2	0	8	2
2004	Group stage	5th	3	1	0	2	4	5
2007	Third place	3rd	4	2	1	1	4	3
2009	Runners-up	2nd	5	3	2	0	10	0
2010	Runners-up	2nd	5	2	2	1	6	2
2013	Group stage	5th	3	1	0	2	2	3
2014	Runners-up	2nd	5	3	1	1	9	5
2017–18	Group stage	6th	3	1	1	1	2	3
2019	Runners-up	2nd	5	3	0	2	7	5
2023	Group stage	6th	3	1	0	2	3	4
2024–25	Semifinal	Third place	4	2	0	2	9	8
2026
Total	3 Titles	25/26	116	59	25	32	175	114

Arab Games

Arab Games record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1953	Did not enter
1957	Group stage	3	1	1	1	4	3
1961	Fifth place	5	1	0	4	4	38
1965	Did not enter
1976	Runners-up	6	3	1	2	9	4
1985	Fourth place	4	3	0	1	6	3
1997	Did not enter
1999	First round	2	0	1	1	2	3
2007	Third place	4	1	1	2	5	5
2011	First round	2	0	1	1	0	2
2023–present	See Saudi Arabia national under-23 football team
Total	7/10	26	9	5	12	30	58

*Denotes draws and includes knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Asian Games

Asian Games record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1951	Did not enter
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978	Group stage	10th	3	0	2	1	3	4
1982	Semi-finals	Third place	6	3	2	1	7	4
1986	Final	Runners-up	6	3	2	1	9	6
1990	Quarter-finals	5th	3	2	1	0	6	0
1994	Quarter-finals	5th	5	3	0	2	9	10
1998	Did not enter
2002–present	See Saudi Arabia national under-23 football team
Total	Final	5/13	23	11	7	5	34	24

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1992	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	0	1	4	3
1995	Group stage	5th	2	0	0	2	0	4
1997		7th	3	1	0	2	1	8
1999	Fourth place	4th	5	1	1	3	8	16
2001	Did not qualify
2003
2005
2009
2013
2017
Total	Runners-up	4/10	12	3	1	8	13	31

All-time results

Main article: Saudi Arabia national football team results

The following table shows Saudi Arabia's all-time international record, correct as of 20 March 2025.

Against	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD
Total	736	345	167	214	1100	773	+327

• Worldfootball.net
• FIFA.com

Honours

Major competitions

Worldwide

• FIFA Confederations Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 1992

Intercontinental

• Afro-Asian Cup of Nations
  • Runners-up (2): 1985, 1997

Continental

• AFC Asian Cup
  • Champions (3): 1984, 1988, 1996
  • Runners-up (3): 1992, 2000, 2007
• Asian Games¹
  • Silver medal (1): 1986
  • Bronze medal (1): 1982

Regional

• Arabian Gulf Cup
  • Champions (3): 1994, 2002, 2003–04
  • Runners-up (7): 1972, 1974, 1998, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2019
  • Third place (9): 1970, 1979, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2007, 2024–25
• Arab Cup:
  • Champions (2): 1998, 2002
  • Runners-up (1): 1992²
  • Third place (1): 1985
• Arab Games
  • Silver medal (2): 1976, 1992²
  • Bronze medal (1): 2007
• Islamic Solidarity Games
  • Gold medal (1): 2005

Awards

• AFC National Team of the Year: 1996
• AFC Asian Cup Fair Play Award: 2000

Summary

Only official senior honours are included, according to FIFA statutes (competitions organized/recognized by FIFA or an affiliated confederation).

Senior Competition				Total
FIFA Confederations Cup	0	1	0	1
AFC Asian Cup	3	3	0	6
Afro-Asian Cup of Nations	0	2	0	2
Total	3	6	0	9

Notes

1. Competition organized by the OCA, officially not recognized by FIFA.
2. The 1992 Arab Cup also counted as an edition of the Arab Games.

Titles

AFC Asian Cup

Preceded by 1980 Kuwait	Asian Cup Champions 1984 (First title) 1988 (Second title)	Succeeded by 1992 Japan
Preceded by 1992 Japan	Asian Cup Champions 1996 (Third title)	Succeeded by 2000 Japan

Arab Cup

Preceded by 1992 Egypt	Arab Cup Champions 1998 (First title) 2002 (Second title)	Succeeded by 2012 Morocco

Arabian Gulf Cup

Preceded by 1992 Qatar	Gulf Cup Champions 1994 (First title)	Succeeded by 1996 Kuwait
Preceded by 1998 Kuwait	Gulf Cup Champions 2002 (Second title) 2003–04 (Third title)	Succeeded by 2004 Qatar