Saudi Arabia women's national football team

Saudi Arabia
Nickname(s)الأخضر (The Green)
الصقور الخضر (The Green Falcons)
الصقور العربية (The Arabian Falcons)
AssociationSaudi Arabian Football Federation
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationWAFF (West Asia)
Head coachRosa Lappi-Seppälä
CaptainSara Khaled
Top scorerAl Bandari Mobarak (5)
FIFA codeKSA
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 171 Steady (24 March 2023)[1]
Highest171 (March 2023)
Lowest171 (March 2023)
First international
 Saudi Arabia 2–0 Seychelles 
(Malé, Maldives, 20 February 2022)
Biggest win
 Saudi Arabia 2–0 Seychelles 
(Malé, Maldives, 20 February 2022)
 Maldives 0–2 Saudi Arabia 
(Malé, Maldives, 24 February 2022)
 Saudi Arabia 2–0 Comoros 
(Khobar, Saudi Arabia; 15 January 2023)
Biggest defeat
 Saudi Arabia 2–4 Bhutan 
(Abha, Saudi Arabia, 28 September 2022)
This article is about the women's team. For the men's team, see Saudi Arabia national football team.

The Saudi Arabia women's national football team (Arabic: منتخب السعودي لكرة القدم للسيدات) is the official women's national football team of the country of Saudi Arabia. The team is controlled by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), the governing body for football in Saudi Arabia.

Colloquially called "the Green Falcons", Saudi Arabia played their first match in 2022 against the Seychelles in a 2–0 win in a friendly tournament in the Maldives.

History
Main article: Women's football in Saudi Arabia

Background

Due to the influence of religious leaders in Saudi Arabia, active opposition of political leaders and sport administrators, and systematic discrimination against women's sport, a women's national team could not exist for a long time.[2] The creation of a FIFA-recognised women's national team was banned by law in 2008.[3] Systemic discrimination remained intact despite limited reforms, until the death of King Abdullah in 2015.[4]

With King Salman's ascension to the throne in 2015, talks about football reforms escalated. However, his son Mohammed bin Salman was the first to spearhead the reforms, including to women's football.[5] Saudi Arabia allowed women to attend football games since 2017, the first step for a future creation of a women's football team.[6]

In December 2019, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) organised the first unofficial women's competition in the Jeddah area.[7] An official nationwide tournament, the amateur Saudi Women's Football League, was launched in February 2020, concentrated in three big cities: Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.[8] Following the creation of the league, calls for a creation of a women's national team increased.[9]

Inception

On 11 August 2021, the SAFF appointed Monika Staab as head coach of the newly-established women's national team.[10] Saudi Arabia played their first games in February 2022, taking part in a friendly tournament in Malé, Maldives.[11] They debuted on 20 February, beating Seychelles in a 2–0 win.[12] Following the successful debut, Lamia Bin Bahian, a board member of the SAFF, revealed a long term plan to allow the team to participate in the first FIFA Women's World Cup in the next ten years, with the aim to become a dominant force in the Gulf, West Asia and Asian level.[13]

Results and fixtures
Main article: Saudi Arabia women's national football team results

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.[14][15]

Legend

  Win   Draw   Lose   Fixture

2022
27 August 2022 Unofficial friendly Saudi Arabia  6–1 Austria Pinzgau Saalfelden Saalfelden, Austria
18:30 (UTC+2)
  • Mobarak ?', ?', ?'
  • Sadaqah ?'
  • Jafri ?'
  • Saud ?'
 Report
30 August 2022 Unofficial friendly Saudi Arabia  0–0 Germany DJK Traunstein Saalfelden, Austria
18:00 (UTC+2) Report
24 September 2022 Friendly Saudi Arabia  3–3  Bhutan Abha, Saudi Arabia
  • Sadaqah 15'
  • Mobarak 75'
  • Al-Ibrahim 90'
 Report
  • Choden Tshering 5'
  • Yangdon 40'
  • Choden 42'
 Stadium: Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium
Referee: Pansa Chaisanit (Thailand)
28 September 2022 Friendly Saudi Arabia  2–4  Bhutan Abha, Saudi Arabia
 Report
  • Choden Tshering 22', 30', 59'
  • Yangdon 68'
 Stadium: Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium

2023
11 January 2023 2023 SAFF Women's Friendly Tournament Saudi Arabia  1–0  Mauritius Khobar, Saudi Arabia
20:30 UTC+3 Altameimi 44' (pen.) Report Stadium: Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium
Referee: Shahenda Saad Ali ElMaghrabi (Egypt)
15 January 2023 2023 SAFF Women's Friendly Tournament Saudi Arabia  2–0  Comoros Khobar, Saudi Arabia
20:30 UTC+3
  • Al-barahim 35'
  • Abu Laban 90+1'
 Report Stadium: Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium
Referee: Shahenda Saad Ali ElMaghrabi (Egypt)
19 January 2023 2023 SAFF Women's Friendly Tournament Saudi Arabia  1–1  Pakistan Khobar, Saudi Arabia
20:30 UTC+3 Mobarak 28' Report M. Khan 64' Stadium: Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium
22 February 2023 Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–1  Indonesia Dammam, Saudi Arabia
18:00 UTC+3
  • Abdulrazak 85'
 Report
Stadium: Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium
Referee: Veronika Bernatskaia (Kyrgyzstan)
26 February 2023 Friendly Saudi Arabia  0–1  Indonesia Dammam, Saudi Arabia
18:00 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium
7 May 2023 Friendly Saudi Arabia  0–0  Palestine Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
19:00 UTC+3 Stadium: Sports Hall at King Abdullah Sports City
11 May 2023 Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–1  Palestine Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
19:00 UTC+3
  • Leen 18'
  • Miral 69'
 Stadium: Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium

Coaching staff

Current coaching staff
As of 11 February 2023
Role Name
Head coach Finland Rosa Lappi-Seppälä[16]
Assistant coach Saudi Arabia Dona Rajab
Switzerland Sandra Kalin
Slovakia Martin Pacholek
Goalkeeping coach Germany Catherine Lingert
Team administrator Saudi Arabia Dalia Al-Obeikan
Saudi Arabia Intisar Al-Qahtan
Video analyst Australia Donna Newberry
Team manager Saudi Arabia Beren Sadaqa

Manager history

Players
Main article: List of Saudi Arabia women's international footballers

Current squad

The following 27 players were called up for friendly matches against  Palestine on 7 and 11 May 2023.[18]

Caps and goals correct as of 11 May 2023
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Sara Khaled (captain) 9 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
1GK Muna Abdulrahman (2001-11-28) 28 November 2001 2 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
1GK Laila Al-Qahtani (2000-09-22) 22 September 2000 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Yamamah
2 2DF Bayan Sadagah (2003-05-01) 1 May 2003 11 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
3 2DF Leen Mohammed (2000-11-28) 28 November 2000 11 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Yamamah
4 2DF Talah Al-Ghamdi 6 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
5 2DF Lana Abdulrazak 11 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
23 2DF Raghad Mukhayzin 10 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab
24 2DF Dalal Abdulateef 4 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Yamamah
2DF Mouadhi Abdelmohsen (1998-11-28) 28 November 1998 2 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Yamamah
7 3MF Noura Al-Brahim (1998-12-17) 17 December 1998 10 3 Saudi Arabia Al-Yamamah
10 3MF Sara Hamad (2003-11-28) 28 November 2003 11 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Yamamah
17 3MF Adha Al-Fahed (1996-03-13) 13 March 1996 5 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
3MF Mariam Al-Tameimi 8 2 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
3MF Seba Tawfiq 7 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
3MF Layan Jouhari 6 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
3MF Majd Al-Otaibi 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Yamamah
3MF Shorouq Al-Hawsawi 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
3MF Reema Al-Thakafi 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
9 4FW Al Bandari Mobarak (2001-12-09) 9 December 2001 11 6 Saudi Arabia Al-Yamamah
19 4FW Al-Bandari Al-Hawsawi 4 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
20 4FW Fatimah Mansour 7 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Yamamah
4FW Jourey Tarek (2003-03-13) 13 March 2003 9 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
4FW Mubarkah Al-Saiari (1998-12-19) 19 December 1998 4 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
4FW Dalia Abu Laban 3 1 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
4FW Houria Al-Shamrani 3 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
4FW Fadwa Khaled 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to the squad in the past 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Nawal Khaled 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 2023 SAFF Women's Friendly Tournament
GK Lama Al-Anazi 0 0 Saudi Arabia Sama v.  Bhutan, 24 September 2022
DF Aseel Ahmed (1996-11-28) 28 November 1996 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 2023 SAFF Women's Friendly Tournament
DF Atheer Khaled (1993-11-28) 28 November 1993 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Yamamah v.  Bhutan, 24 September 2022
DF Mashael Al-Harbi 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab v.  Bhutan, 24 September 2022
MF Raghad Helmi (1997-03-08) 8 March 1997 3 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab v.  Indonesia, 26 February 2023
MF Hala Khashoggi 0 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 2023 SAFF Women's Friendly Tournament WD
MF Asrar Al-Shaibani 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad v.  Bhutan, 24 September 2022
MF Farah Jefry 1 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad v.  Bhutan, 24 September 2022

INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
PRE Preliminary squad.
SUS Player is serving a suspension.
WD Player withdrew for personal reasons.

Previous squads
SAFF Women's Friendly Tournament

Records
  • Active players in bold, statistics correct as of 28 September 2022.[15]

Competitive record

So far, the team hasn't competed in the FIFA Women's World Cup, the Olympic Games, the Arab Women's Cup, the WAFF Women's Championship or the AFC Women's Asian Cup. They also haven't competed at the Asian Games yet, but as hosts for the 2034 edition they are automarically qualified.

Asian Games
Main article: Saudi Arabia at the Asian Games
Asian Games record
Hosts / Year Result GP W D* L GS GA GD
China 1990did not enter
Japan 1994
1998
South Korea 2002
Qatar 2006
China 2010
South Korea 2014
Indonesia 2018
China 2022To be decided
Japan 2026
Qatar 2030
Saudi Arabia 2034Qualified as host
Total0/10———————
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Head-to-head record
Key
  Positive balance (more wins than losses)
  Neutral balance (as many wins as losses)
  Negative balance (more losses than wins)

The following table shows Saudi Arabia's all-time official international record per opponent:

Opponent Pld W D L GF GA GD W% Confederation
 Bhutan201157–20.00AFC
 Indonesia201112–10.00AFC
 Pakistan10101100.00AFC
 Maldives110020+2100.00AFC
 Seychelles110020+2100.00CAF
 Mauritius110010+1100.00CAF
 Comoros110020+2100.00CAF
Total94321410+444.44—

Last updated: Saudi Arabia vs Indonesia, 26 February 2023.[15]

See also

References
  1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  2. "Hijabs approved for soccer players by FIFA – Montreal – CBC News". Cbc.ca. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  3. "Women's football". New Statesman. 137: 20. 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  4. "Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia After King Abdullah".
  5. "Salman: Rave in desert, women drivers: How Saudi is undergoing sweeping changes under Prince Salman – Times of India". The Times of India. 26 December 2021.
  6. "Saudi Arabia reforms open turnstiles to female football fans". Financial Times. 12 January 2018.
  7. "Jeddah Eagles flying high with women's football win". Arab News. 9 December 2019.
  8. "Saudi Arabia launches a soccer league for women". CNN. 27 February 2020.
  9. "Arab nations cannot afford to ignore the rise of women's football". 29 July 2020.
  10. "Monika Staab appointed coach of Saudi women's national football team". Arab News. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  11. "Saudi Arabian women's national team set for historic international debut in Maldives". Orbital Affairs. 18 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  12. "Saudi women's national football team beat Seychelles in historic international win". Arab News. 20 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  13. (AR)لمياء بن بهيان: نخطط لمشاركة منتخب السعودية للسيدات في كأس العالم خلال 10 أعوام
  14. "Women's National Team (2023)". Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF). Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  15. "Saudi Arabia – Team Info". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  16. "Appointment of Monica Staab as the technical director of the women's department and Finnish Rosa Lappi as coach of the green". saff.com.sa (in Arabic). Saudi Arabian Football Federation. 13 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  17. "Who's Who: Monika Staab, new coach of the Saudi women's national football team". arabnews.com. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  18. "المنتخب الوطني للسيدات يقيم معسكرًا في جدة استعدادا للقاءه الودّي أمام المنتخب الفلسطيني".
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