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Team: Saudi Arabia
National Team History:
The Saudi Arabia National Football team has been a part of FIFA since the 1950s, but did not qualify for it’s first cup until 1994. In the 1994 cup the team advanced to the round of 16 through victories over Belgium and Morocco, but then fell to Sweden. Saudi Arabia qualified for the next three world cups, but failed to win a group stage match in any of them. After missing the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, the team will return to the international stage for the 2018 Russia games.
The team has a successful history in Asian football tournaments, winning their first Asian AFC Cup in 1984. They would go on to reach the finals of the next four AFC Cups, again being crowned champions in 1988 and 1996. They have qualified for every AFC cup since, but have only one finals appearance in 2007. (1)
Key Players:
All players come from the Saudi Arabia professional league, so they do no have any internationally recognized star players. Osama Hawsawi and Taisir Al-Jassim are the two most internationally seasoned players on the team, having competed for the Saudi national team in dozens of matches prior to the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Osama Hawsawi, who plays central defender, is expected to be a veteran leader of the team and recently announced his upcoming retirement from professional Saudi football. (2) The leading goal scorer in qualifying matches was Nawaf Al Abed, who plays winger and striker for Al-Hilal soccer club in Saudi Arabia. His first international appearance was in the 2015 AFC Cup. (3)
How they got here:
Saudi Arabia qualified by going 3-2 in international qualifiers, with wins over Thailand, Iraq, and Japan, and losses to Australia and the UAE. The most pivotal game this team has played would be their 1-0 qualifying win over Japan. (1)
Managerial Staff:
The coaching situation in Saudi Arabia has been tumultuous, with two coaches (Bert van Marwijk and Edgardo Bauza) fired within the past year. Juan Antonio Pizzi is the current head manager of the Saudi Arabia national team. He is an Argentinian footballer who played in Spain for most of his career as a striker. His greatest achievement as a manager came in 2016 when he won the Copa America Centenario with Chile. (4)
Fandom in Saudi Arabia:
Football is the most popular sport in the country, and the national team has the fervent support of the population. To the fans, the national team is known as Al-Saquor, or “the Falcons.”
Best moments from qualifiers:
Final Verdict:
Saudi Arabia is expected to be one of the weakest teams in the World Cup and is unlikely to make it out of the group stage. They are old and lack experience against superstar players. In addition, the firing of two coaches in the last several months does not bode well for how well organized the squad will be. If they are to win a game against Uruguay or Egypt, they will need nearly all of their players to have the match of their career.
Fun Fact:
Saudi Arabia will be the oldest team at the 2018 World Cup, with an average age of nearly 29 years old. (5)
Written by Lucas Carter
References
- “FIFA Century Club” (PDF). Fifa.com. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/osama-hawsawi-player-stats
- http://www.national-football-teams.com/player/41149/Nawaf_Al_Abed.html
- “Pizzi takes charge of Saudi Arabia”. FIFA. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
- https://www.betshoot.com/blog/world-cup-2018-preview/
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