Saudi Arabia’s journey from 90s novelty to World Cup power grab
From USA 94 to Ronaldo, via Putin and Newcastle, the 2034 hosts-elect are now at the heart of football politics
Saudi Arabia’s football history is lengthy and the country has long been one of the biggest players in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) was founded in 1956. The country’s first international came the following year, at the same time as the foundation of its most successful club side, Al-Hilal (the other three clubs in Saudi’s big four – Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli – are older). A Saudi league was established in the 1970s but it was not until the 80s that the country featured in its first international tournament, the AFC Asian Cup, which it won in 1984.
