The plentiful records of domestic football in Saudi Arabia have been standardised and updated thanks to a landmark collaboration project between the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), the FIFA Museum, the Saudi Ministry of Sports, the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives, the Saudi Professional League, the Saudi Broadcast Authority and both international and local football experts. To support the eventual Saudi Football History Project report, the FIFA Museum acted in an advisory capacity as part of an International Experts Panel to share historical information held by FIFA archives and providing historical benchmarks on how other FIFA Member Associations have handled similar projects.

As part of the research, over 500,000 newspaper articles were consulted, more than 800 documents and interviews were reviewed and over 90 books and other references included that identified 1,141 national team matches, over 3,900 club competitions and the participation of Saudi Arabian match officials in more than 3,300 international matches. Over three years later, the knowledge-sharing has supported the publication of the Saudi Football History Project report and has resulted in the formation of an SAFF-backed Research Centre, equipped to sustainably manage such situations in the future and be the custodians of historical data related to football in Saudi Arabia.

“FIFA congratulates the Saudi Arabian Football Federation on completing this important historical project, and for establishing transparent and scientific methodology under the responsibility of the SAFF General Assembly,” said FIFA General Secretary Mattias Grafström. “With over 120 years of Saudi football history catalogued, more than one thousand national team matches played, and an extensive record of club competitions and tournaments, this landmark project has established definitions that will showcase Saudi Arabia’s football legacy and will ensure that the heritage of football in the Kingdom will be preserved for future generations.” Having joined FIFA on 9 June 1956 at the 30th Ordinary FIFA Congress which was held in Lisbon, Portugal, the SAFF will hope to celebrate both its’ 70th anniversary and 70 years of FIFA membership in 2026 with an appearance at a seventh FIFA World Cup.

After debuting at the FIFA World Cup in 1994 when last staged in the United States, the Saudi men’s national team opened their last campaign in Qatar in 2022 with a remarkable win over eventual winners Argentina, and in December 2024 at the Extraordinary FIFA Congress, the Kingdom has been confirmed as hosts of the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Saudi Arabia’s women’s national team also recently competed in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time. The 2026 edition of this event also acts as the qualification competition to determine the Asian representatives at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil – and although unsuccessful in their bid to qualify for both final tournaments on the pitch, the women’s team can reflect positively on beginning their own chapter in Saudi Arabia’s football history.