Saudi Arabia Soccer - Saudi Arabia Soccer

Saudi Arabia Soccer Team General Information
Country - Saudi Arabia
Capital City- Riyadh
Continent- Asia
Manager- Gabriel Humberto Calderon

Saudi Arabia Soccer Team History
Founded 1959
Affiliated 1959

WC participations3 (1994, 1998, 2002)
WC honours Last sixteen (1994)
Continental TitlesAsian Cup 3 times (1984, 1988, 1996), Gulf Cup twice (1994, 2002)

World Cup Record:
Year Host Performance
1930 Uruguay -
1934 Italy -
1938 France -
1950 Brazil -
1954 Switzerland -
1958 Sweden -
1962 Chile -
1966 England -
1970 Mexico -
1974 West Germany -
1978 Argentina -
1982 Spain -
1986 Mexico -
1990 Italy -
1994 U.S.A. Second Round (last 16)
1998 France Fourth, Group C
2002 S.Korea/Japan Fourth, Group E
2006 Germany in Group H with Spain, Ukraine, Tunisia
SAUDI ARABIA Football Team for 2006 FIFA World Cup

Coach:
Marcos Paqueta

Goalkeepers:
Mohammed Al Daeyea, Mabrouk Zaid, Mohammad Khojah

Defenders:
Ahmed Dokhi, Redha Tukar, Hamad Al Montashari, Naif Al Qadi, Abdulaziz Khathran, Hussein Sulimani, Ahmed Al Bahri, Mohammed Massad.

Midfielders:
Omar Al Ghamdi, Mohammed Ameen, Mohammed Noor, Mohammad Al Shlhoub, Saud Khariri, Khaled Aziz, Nawaf Al Temyat.

Forwards:
Sami Al Jaber, Saad Al Harthi, Mohammed Al Anbar, Yaser Al Kahtani, Malek Mouath.

Saudi Arabia Statistics in Group H with Spain, Ukraine, Tunisia
Jersey No. Name of the Player
1 Mohammed Al Daeyea
2 Ahmed Dokhi
3 Redha Tukar
4 Hamad Al Montashari
5 Naif Al Qadi
6 Omar Al Ghamdi
7 Mohammed Ameen
8 Mohammed Noor
9 Sami Al Jaber
10 Mohammad Al Shlhoub
11 Saad Al Harthi
12 Abdulaziz Khathran
13 Hussein Sulimani
14 Saud Khariri
15 Ahmed Al Bahri
16 Khaled Aziz
17 Mohammed Al Anbar
18 Nawaf Al Temyat
19 Mohammed Massad
20 Yaser Al Kahtani
21 Mabrouk Zaid
22 Mohammad Khojah
23 Malek Mouath

Saudi Arabia Soccer Team is playing in Group H along with Spain, Ukraine and Tunisia. The Saudi team played their first world cup in 1994 and is a newcomer into the soccer arena. This FIFA season the Saudi Arabia Soccer Team be playing their fourth consecutive FIFA World Cup.

This time qualifying was not very tough for the Saudi Arabia team. The team went undefeated through 12 qualifiers with 10 wins and 2 drawn matches. In the preliminary group stages they won all six games against Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan. The Saudis delivered in the final round as well.
Saudi Arabia Map

In a Final Round Group 1 qualifying match opener in February 2005, veteran striker Sami Al Jaber's goal helped the Saudi team to draw 1-1 with Uzbekistan. In the following month they secured a 2-0 victory over South Korea in Dammam. The Saudi Arabia Soccer Team also secured a 1-0 victory over South Korea in Seoul in August 2005. Before this match they had secured a place in the FIFA finals on 8 June with a 3-0 home success over Uzbekistan.

Asian Champions for three times in 1984,1988 and 1996, the Saudis made their first FIFA World Cup finals appearance at USA 94. During their 1994 debut in the USA they put forth a sensational performance beating Morocco and Belgium to qualify for the second round. Unfortunately in the second round they lost to Sweden. But in the 2002 World Cup they lost 8-0 to Germany. This time Saudi soccer fans are hopeful that under Brazilian coach Marcos Paqueta the team will come out with good performances. The players in the team have been picked from Saudi Arabia's top three clubs - Al Ahlv, Al Hilal and Al Ittihad.

Sami Al Jaber is called the hero of Saudi Arabia. He contributed considerably in moving through the two group phases. He is one of the crucial players to watch from the Saudi Arabia Soccer Team this season.