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.

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.

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.

[12] 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.

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.

[19] Saudi Arabia then lost 1–0 to a Luis Suárez goal that put Uruguay as the eventual group winners.

[20] Although they were already eliminated,[21] 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.

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.[31] Saudi Arabia, under new manager Roberto Mancini, entered the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Group F with Oman, Kyrgyzstan and Thailand.

Saudi Arabia's main rivals are mostly from the Arabian Gulf, notably Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.

This stems from the strong hatred between Saudi Arabia and Iran, in particular in recent years due to historical enmities.

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.

[42][43] 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] Historically, Saudi Arabia played most of their home matches in King Fahd Sports City, located in the capital Riyadh.

Champion    Runners-up    Third place The following table shows Saudi Arabia's all-time international record, correct as of 19 November 2024.