Saudi Arabia enter the World Cup on the back of finishing top of a tough qualifying group that included Japan and Australia. They won the group and had some memorable victories, defeating Japan and Australia 1-0 at home and drawing with the Socceroos in Sydney. Saudi Arabia will be participating in their sixth World Cup since the tournament’s inception in 1994 when they advanced to the round of 16 in the United States. Since then, they have been unable to match those heights, failing to advance past the group stage in 1998, 2002, and 2006. After failing to qualify in 2010 and 2014, Saudi Arabia missed the competition in Russia four years later, and they were eliminated at the group stage once more.
Saudi Arabia began a roster revamp as they prepared for upcoming competitions after an early exit from the Asian Cup in 2019 and a humiliating loss from the World Cup in 2018. Herve Renard, a Frenchman who led Zambia and Ivory Coast to Africa Cup of Nations victories, was given the job of rebuilding, and it was a wise choice. The combination of seasoned players like Salem Al-Dawsari and Salman Al Faraj with youthful talents like Firas Al-Buraikan, Abdulelah Al-Amri, and Sami Al-Najei had an instant impact as they were able to qualify for Qatar early with just one loss.
However, as they compete in Group C alongside Argentina, Mexico, and Poland, this team will be put to the test in Qatar. For the first time since 1994, Renard will be attempting to improve upon their lone triumph from the tournament in Russia four years ago. The player Salem Al-Dawsari has a World Cup history. The Al-Hilal winger participated in all three of Saudi Arabia’s group matches in Russia and scored his nation’s game-winning goal against Egypt in the tournament’s final match. With 66 appearances under his belt and 17 goals scored over the course of a ten-year international career, he has a tonne of experience.
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