Saudi Arabia, the three-time Asian champions, end backside of Group H with two factors from three video games.
Revealed On 29 Jun 2026
The president of the Saudi Arabian Soccer Federation has introduced his resignation after the nationwide workforce had been knocked out of the 2026 World Cup within the first spherical.
Saudi Arabia finished bottom of Group H with two factors after a 1-1 draw with Uruguay, a goalless draw with event debutants Cape Verde and a heavy 4-0 defeat to title favourites Spain.
“The failure of the nationwide workforce to qualify for the following spherical of the World Cup is a end result that falls wanting all our ambitions, and I bear full accountability for it. I provide my apologies to everybody who hoped to see our workforce in a greater place,” Yasser al-Misehal wrote on X late on Sunday.
“A way of accountability requires giving the chance to open a brand new chapter, and I’ve determined to not proceed till the top of my present time period,” he added.
As the top of the federation for seven years, al-Misehal performed a central function in Saudi Arabia’s profitable bid to host the 2034 World Cup, a cornerstone of its technique to diversify an economic system closely depending on oil.
Saudi Arabia had been enjoying of their third consecutive World Cup this yr. The three-time Asian champions haven’t reached the knockout levels since a spherical of 16 end in 1994.
Saudi Arabia had been among the many seven Asian groups who had been knocked out within the group stage as solely Japan and Australia superior to the spherical of 32.
A sequence of poor leads to pleasant warm-up matches in March had already price French coach Herve Renard his Saudi Arabia job, bringing a second spell by Renard to an finish after he returned to exchange Italian Roberto Mancini.
Saudi Arabia has invested nearly $2bn in soccer over the previous three years, luring Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema to the Saudi Professional League, now one of the vital profitable competitions on the planet.
