With the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicking off in 23 days, it’s time to explore a team close to Qatar – The Green Falcons of Saudi Arabia.
Every day until November 20th, we’ll explore a different team represented in this year’s tournament, from Group A to Group H, including predictions about where they’ll end up.
Yesterday, we looked at the probable World Cup winners, Messi’s full house Argentina. Today we’ll look at the USMNT‘s most recent opponent, Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia
Group C
Nickname: The Green Men, The Green Falcons, The Arabian Falcons
Colors: Green, white
Location:
Coach: Hervé Renard (France)
Top Players:
All of the Saudi Arabian roster plays in the Saudi Arabian domestic league, which lacks international distinction. Saudi striker Saleh Al-Shehri scored four goals during the team’s third qualifying round. Their top scorer is a tie between two midfielders at 17 – Fahad Al-Muwallad and Salem Al-Dawsari.
Team History:
Qatar will be Saudi Arabia’s sixth World Cup appearance, their best result coming in their first attempt in 1994 when they reached the round of 16. The Arabian Falcons finished third in the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup and ahead of Japan in their Asian Football Confederation World Cup qualifying group. The Saudis are 3-4-3 in 2022 with FOUR friendlies left to play before opening against Argentina on November 22.
Tournament Prediction: Group stage exit.
The Arabians are massive underdogs in World Cup Group C against Poland, Mexico, and Messi’s unstoppable Argentina. Any win for Saudi Arabia in the group stages would be considered an inspiring upset. The Green Men will be lucky to come out of the group matches with any points at all, and will probably go home after their November 30th match against Mexico.
Featured Image: Generated Image: DALL-E 2