Saudi Arabia will be aiming to end their 28-year-long trophy drought as they take part in the AFC Asian Cup 2024 in Qatar, which starts from January 12.
The Green Falcons are currently ranked 56 in the FIFA rankings and are one of the favorites in the tournament.
Saudi Arabia are placed in Group F along with Oman, Kyrgyzstan and Thailand.
Considered one of Asia’s most successful national teams, Saudi Arabia have won the AFC Asian Cup three times (1984, 1988 and 1996), reached a joint record six Asian Cup finals and have qualified for the FIFA World Cup on seven occasions since debuting at the 1994 tournament.
Saudi Arabia are the first Asian team to reach the final of a senior FIFA competition at the 1992 King Fahd Cup, which would eventually become the FIFA Confederations Cup.
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Only Australia and Japan managed to repeat this feat in 1997 and 2001 respectively, though Australia achieved it when they were a member of the OFC.
In the 1996–97 season, the Saudi Arabia national team won the Asian Cup and qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup under the guidance of a Portuguese football manager Eduardo Manuel “Nelo” de Vingada.
The finals were between the hosts UAE and Saudi Arabia in one of the boring finals which lacked enthusiasm and eventually ended in a penalty shootout where the UAE missed two while Saudi Arabia only missed one, thus Saudi Arabia was crowned for its third trophy in the country’s fourth consecutive Asian Cup final.
Standing in the way of Saudi Arabia’s Green Falcons is the host and defending champions Qatar for which they have the additional strength of home advantage.
The 3-1 win in the 2019 final against Japan upset the odds and handed Qatar their first Asian Cup trophy.
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Japan is one of the teams to watch and some football gurus are looking at “the Samurai Blue” as the clear favorite to lift the Asian Cup trophy in Qatar.
The head coach, Hajime Moriyasu, who saw his team lost 1-3 to Qatar in the final of the 2019 edition in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has casted the past aside and is determined to lead the Blue Samurai in their charge for the fifth title this time.
Saudi Arabia AFC Cup 2024 Schedule
Saudi Arabia vs Oman – Jan 16, 11 pm IST / 8:30 pm Saudi Time AFC Asian Cup 2024,
Saudi Arabia vs Kyrgyzstan – Jan 21, 11 pm IST / 8:30 pm Saudi Time
Saudi Arabia vs Thailand – Jan 25, 8:30 pm IST / 6 pm Saudi Time
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