Saudi Arabia at the AFC Asian Cup

Saudi Arabia against Lebanon during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

Saudi Arabia is one of the most successful teams in Asia, having won three AFC Asian Cup titles and is one of the stronger teams in the continent. With influential experiences, the Saudi team has been a major force in the Asian Cup.

The Saudis first qualified to the Asian Cup was in 1984, and it was also the first time Saudi Arabia claimed the title. They repeated the feat in 1988 and 1996, before reaching two other finals, both ended in defeats. Having said, Saudi Arabia also has disappointing performances, notably 2004, 2011 and 2015, when Saudi Arabia crashed out from the group stage. Saudi Arabia will play in 2023 edition, looking on their quest to win the Asian Cup in the new millennia. Saudi Arabia will host the 2027 edition which will mark the first time that the country has ever hosted the Asian Cup.

1984 AFC Asian Cup

Group A

Pos Team
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 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Saudi Arabia 4 2 2 0 4 2 +2 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Kuwait 4 2 1 1 4 2 +2 5
3  Qatar 4 1 2 1 3 3 0 4
4  Syria 4 1 1 2 3 5 −2 3
5  South Korea 4 0 2 2 1 3 −2 2
Source: RSSSF
Saudi Arabia 1–1 South Korea
Abdullah 90' Lee Tae-Ho 51'
National Stadium, Singapore
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: George Joseph (Malaysia)
Syria 0–1 Saudi Arabia
Khalifa 66'
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Shizuo Takada (Japan)
Qatar 1–1 Saudi Arabia
Zaid 47' Abduljawad 65'
Attendance: 15,000
Kuwait 0–1 Saudi Arabia
Al-Jam'an 88'
Attendance: 5,000

Knockout stage

Semi-finals
Final
Saudi Arabia 2–0 China
Al-Nafisah 10'
Abdullah 46'
Attendance: 26,000
Referee: Shizuo Takada (Japan)
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Saudi Arabia squad – 1984 AFC Asian Cup winners (1st title)
Saudi Arabia

1988 AFC Asian Cup

Group B

Pos Team
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 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Saudi Arabia 4 2 2 0 4 1 +3 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  China 4 2 1 1 6 3 +3 5
3  Syria 4 2 0 2 2 5 −3 4
4  Kuwait 4 0 3 1 2 3 −1 3
5  Bahrain 4 0 2 2 1 3 −2 2
Source: RSSSF
Syria 0–2 Saudi Arabia
Report Al-Mutlaq 20'
Al-Suwaiyed 82'
Saudi Arabia 0–0 Kuwait
Report
Saudi Arabia 1–1 Bahrain
Jazea'a 78' Report F. Mohamed 44' (pen.)
Referee: Vincent Mauro (United States)
China 0–1 Saudi Arabia
Report Al-Bishi 56'

Knockout stage

Semi-finals
Saudi Arabia 1–0 Iran
Abdullah 16' Report
Attendance: 17,000
Final
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Saudi Arabia squad – 1988 AFC Asian Cup winners (2nd title)
Saudi Arabia

1992 AFC Asian Cup

Group B

Pos Team
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 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Saudi Arabia 3 1 2 0 6 2 +4 4 Advance to knockout stage
2  China 3 1 2 0 3 2 +1 4
3  Qatar 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2
4  Thailand 3 0 2 1 1 5 −4 2
Source: WorldFootball.net
Saudi Arabia 1–1 China
Al-Thunayan 17' Report Li Bing 41'
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Shinichiro Obata (Japan)
Saudi Arabia 1–1 Qatar
Al-Muwallid 86' Report Mustafa 74'
Attendance: 4,000
Referee: Neji Jouini (Tunisia)
Saudi Arabia 4–0 Thailand
Al-Owairan 4'
Al-Bishi 19', 72'
Al-Thunayan 64'		 Report

Knockout stage

Semi-finals
Saudi Arabia 2–0 United Arab Emirates
Al-Owairan 77'
Al-Bishi 80'		 Report
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Rasheed Al-Jassas (Kuwait)
Final
Japan 1–0 Saudi Arabia
Takagi 36' Report
Attendance: 60,000
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Saudi Arabia squad – 1992 AFC Asian Cup runners-up
Saudi Arabia

1996 AFC Asian Cup

Group B

Pos Team
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 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Iran 3 2 0 1 7 3 +4 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Saudi Arabia 3 2 0 1 7 3 +4 6
3  Iraq 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6
4  Thailand 3 0 0 3 2 13 −11 0
Source: RSSSF


Saudi Arabia 6–0 Thailand
Al-Temawi 10' (pen.), 29' (pen.)
Al-Mehallel 15', 54'
Al-Muwallid 18'
Al-Jaber 52'		 Report
Attendance: 5,000
Saudi Arabia 1–0 Iraq
Al-Mehallel 26' Report
Saudi Arabia 0–3 Iran
Report Daei 12'
Bagheri 37'
Azizi 47'
Attendance: 12,000

Knockout stage

Quarter-finals
Saudi Arabia 4–3 China
Al-Thunayan 31', 65'
Al-Jaber 34'
Al-Mehallel 43'		 Report Zhang Enhua 6', 89'
Peng Weiguo 16'
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Mohd Nazri Abdullah (Malaysia)
Semi-finals
Iran 0–0 (a.e.t.) Saudi Arabia
Report
Penalties
Daei soccer ball with red X
Peyrovani soccer ball with check mark
Yazdani soccer ball with red X
Estili soccer ball with check mark
Bagheri soccer ball with check mark
Khakpour soccer ball with red X		 3–4 soccer ball with red X Al-Temawi
soccer ball with check mark Sulaimani
soccer ball with check mark Zubromawi
soccer ball with red X Al-Muwallid
soccer ball with check mark Al-Harbi
soccer ball with check mark Madani
Final
United Arab Emirates 0–0 (a.e.t.) Saudi Arabia
Report
Penalties
M. Ali soccer ball with check mark
Saleh soccer ball with red X
K. Saad soccer ball with check mark
Saeed soccer ball with red X		 2–4 soccer ball with check mark Al-Thunayan
soccer ball with check mark Zubromawi
soccer ball with red X Al-Harbi
soccer ball with check mark Al-Temawi
soccer ball with check mark Al-Muwallid
Attendance: 60,000
Referee: Mohd Nazri Abdullah (Malaysia)
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Saudi Arabia squad – 1996 AFC Asian Cup winners (3rd title)
Saudi Arabia

2000 AFC Asian Cup

Group C

Pos Team
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 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Japan 3 2 1 0 13 3 +10 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Saudi Arabia 3 1 1 1 6 4 +2 4
3  Qatar 3 0 3 0 2 2 0 3
4  Uzbekistan 3 0 1 2 2 14 −12 1
Source: RSSSF
Saudi Arabia 1–4 Japan
Morioka 90' (o.g.) Report Yanagisawa 22'
Takahara 37'
Nanami 53'
Ono 88'
Saudi Arabia 0–0 Qatar
Report
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Tajaddin Fares (Syria)
Saudi Arabia 5–0 Uzbekistan
Al-Otaibi 18'
Al-Shalhoub 35', 78', 86'
Al-Temyat 88'		 Report

Knockout stage

Quarter-finals
Kuwait 2–3 (a.e.t.) Saudi Arabia
Bashar Abdullah 62'
Al-Huwaidi 68'		 Report Al-Temyat 45+1' gold-colored soccer ball 109'
Al-Meshal 72'
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Brian Hall (United States)
Semi-finals
South Korea 1–2 Saudi Arabia
Lee Dong-Gook 90+1' Report Al-Meshal 76', 80'
Final
Japan 1–0 Saudi Arabia
Mochizuki 30' Report
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Saudi Arabia squad – 2000 AFC Asian Cup runners-up
Saudi Arabia

2004 AFC Asian Cup

Group C

Pos Team
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 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Uzbekistan 3 3 0 0 3 0 +3 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Iraq 3 2 0 1 5 4 +1 6
3  Turkmenistan 3 0 1 2 4 6 −2 1
4  Saudi Arabia 3 0 1 2 3 5 −2 1
Source: RSSSF
Saudi Arabia 2–2 Turkmenistan
Al-Qahtani 9' (pen.), 59' Report N. Bayramov 6'
Kuliyev 90+3'
Attendance: 12,400
Referee: Chaiwat Kunsata (Thailand)
Uzbekistan 1–0 Saudi Arabia
Geynrikh 13' Report
Saudi Arabia 1–2 Iraq
Al-Montashari 57' Report Akram 51'
Mahmoud 86'
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Saudi Arabia squad – 2004 AFC Asian Cup
Saudi Arabia

2007 AFC Asian Cup

Group D

Pos Team
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 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Saudi Arabia 3 2 1 0 7 2 +5 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  South Korea 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
3  Indonesia (H) 3 1 0 2 3 4 −1 3
4  Bahrain 3 1 0 2 3 7 −4 3
Source: Asian Cup 2007
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
South Korea 1–1 Saudi Arabia
Choi Sung-Kuk 66' Report Y. Al-Qahtani 77' (pen.)
Saudi Arabia 4–0 Bahrain
Al-Mousa 18'
A. Al-Qahtani 45'
Al-Jassim 68', 79'		 Report

Knockout stage

Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Japan 2–3 Saudi Arabia
Nakazawa 37'
Abe 53'		 Report Y. Al-Qahtani 35'
Mouath 47', 57'
Attendance: 10,000
Final
Iraq 1–0 Saudi Arabia
Mahmoud 72' Report
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Saudi Arabia squad – 2007 AFC Asian Cup runners-up
Saudi Arabia

2011 AFC Asian Cup

Group B

Pos Team
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 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Japan 3 2 1 0 8 2 +6 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Jordan 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2 7
3  Syria 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
4  Saudi Arabia 3 0 0 3 1 8 −7 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
9 January 2011
Saudi Arabia  1–2  Syria
13 January 2011
Jordan  1–0  Saudi Arabia
17 January 2011
Saudi Arabia  0–5  Japan
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Saudi Arabia squad – 2011 AFC Asian Cup
Saudi Arabia

2015 AFC Asian Cup

Group B

Pos Team
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 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  China 3 3 0 0 5 2 +3 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Uzbekistan 3 2 0 1 5 3 +2 6
3  Saudi Arabia 3 1 0 2 5 5 0 3
4  North Korea 3 0 0 3 2 7 −5 0
Source: Asian Cup Australia 2015
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
10 January 2015
Saudi Arabia  0–1[1]  China Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane
14 January 2015
North Korea  1–4[2]  Saudi Arabia AAMI Park, Melbourne
18 January 2015
Uzbekistan  3–1  Saudi Arabia AAMI Park, Melbourne
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Saudi Arabia squad – 2015 AFC Asian Cup
Saudi Arabia

2019 AFC Asian Cup

Group E

Pos Team
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 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Qatar 3 3 0 0 10 0 +10 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Saudi Arabia 3 2 0 1 6 2 +4 6
3  Lebanon 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
4  North Korea 3 0 0 3 1 14 −13 0
Source: AFC
Saudi Arabia 4–0 North Korea
Report
Attendance: 5,075
Referee: Peter Green (Australia)
Lebanon 0–2 Saudi Arabia
Report
Attendance: 13,792
Referee: Ali Sabah (Iraq)
Saudi Arabia 0–2 Qatar
Report
Attendance: 16,067
Referee: Kim Dong-jin (South Korea)

Knockout stage

Round of 16
Japan 1–0 Saudi Arabia
Report
Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah
Attendance: 6,832
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Saudi Arabia squad – 2019 AFC Asian Cup
Saudi Arabia

2023 AFC Asian Cup

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Saudi Arabia squad – 2023 AFC Asian Cup
Saudi Arabia

Group F

Pos Team
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 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Saudi Arabia 3 2 1 0 4 1 +3 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Thailand 3 1 2 0 2 0 +2 5
3  Oman 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2
4  Kyrgyzstan 3 0 1 2 1 5 −4 1
Source: AFC
Saudi Arabia 2–1 Oman
 Report
Attendance: 41,987
Referee: Shaun Evans (Australia)
Kyrgyzstan 0–2 Saudi Arabia
Report
Attendance: 39,557
Referee: Jumpei Iida (Japan)
Saudi Arabia 0–0 Thailand
Report
Attendance: 38,773

Knockout stage

Round of 16

Saudi Arabia 1–1 (a.e.t.) South Korea
 Report
Penalties
2–4
Attendance: 42,389
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

Record

AFC Asian Cup record AFC Asian Cup qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Hong Kong 1956 Not an AFC member Not an AFC member
South Korea 1960
Israel 1964
Iran 1968
Thailand 1972
Iran 1976 Withdrew 6 3 1 2 12 5
Kuwait 1980 Withdrew
Singapore 1984 Champions 1st 6 3 3 0 7 3 4 4 0 0 19 0
Qatar 1988 Champions 1st 6 3 3 0 5 1 Automatic qualification as champions
Japan 1992 Runners-up 2nd 5 2 2 1 8 3 Automatic qualification as champions
United Arab Emirates 1996 Champions 1st 6 3 2 1 11 6 4 4 0 0 10 0
Lebanon 2000 Runners-up 2nd 6 3 1 2 11 8 Automatic qualification as champions
China 2004 Group stage 13th 3 0 1 2 3 5 6 6 0 0 31 1
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007 Runners-up 2nd 6 4 1 1 12 6 6 5 0 1 21 4
Qatar 2011 Group stage 15th 3 0 0 3 1 8 Automatic qualification as runners-up
Australia 2015 10th 3 1 0 2 5 5 6 5 1 0 9 3
United Arab Emirates 2019 Round of 16 12th 4 2 0 2 6 3 8 6 2 0 28 4
Qatar 2023 10th 4 2 2 0 5 2 8 6 2 0 22 4
Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualified as host To be determined
Total 3 Titles 12/19 52 23 15 14 74 50 48 39 6 3 152 21

See also

References

  1. ^ "2015 AFC Asian Cup: China 1-0 Saudi Arabia - CCTV News - CCTV.com English". english.cntv.cn. Archived from the original on 28 June 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Cup's open arms and open goals". www.heraldsun.com.au. January 14, 2015.
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Countries at the AFC Asian Cup
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EAFF
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WAFF
Former
1 Considered a successor team by FIFA, or have competed under other name(s). 2 Israel was a member of the AFC until 1974. 3 Recognized by FIFA as defunct.
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Saudi Arabia national football team
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