The first Saudi national team raised its tally to 9 official titles in the most prominent regional and continental championships, after winning the 2026 Gulf Cup in Jeddah, adding the fourth championship to its Gulf record, and strengthening its decades-long legacy in Asian and Arab football.
The fourth Gulf title came 23 years after the last coronation, returning “Al-Akhdar” to the championship podium, which it found its way for the first time in 1994, before repeating the achievement in 2002 and 2003, then adding the Jeddah 2026 title.
The nine Saudi national team titles are divided into 3 main tournaments: It won the Asian Cup three times, in 1984, 1988 and 1996, becoming one of the most prominent teams in the continent’s history, while it won the Arab Cup twice, in 1998 and 2002, and completed its tally with four Gulf Cup titles in 1994, 2002, 2003 and 2026.
The championship map reveals the continuity of the Saudi presence on the podiums. The continental beginning came in Singapore in 1984, when “The Greens” won the Asian Cup for the first time, then maintained its title in Qatar in 1988, before regaining the championship again in the Emirates in 1996.
On the Arab level, the beginning came with the coronation in 1998 in the Qatari capital, Doha, then the Saudi team returned to win the Arab Cup again in 2002 in Kuwait.
As for the Gulf, the gold story began in the Emirates in 1994, then came the second title in Riyadh in 2002, and the third in Kuwait in 2003, before the waiting period was long until the fourth title came in Jeddah in 2026.
In addition to its nine titles, the Saudi national team has a remarkable presence on the world stage, having qualified for the World Cup finals 7 times.
The global journey began in the 1994 World Cup in the United States, then participated in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 editions, before returning to the World Cup in 2018 and 2022, all the way to the 2026 edition.
Thus, Al-Akhdar’s record combines 9 titles in the continental, Arab and Gulf championships, and 7 participations in the World Cup finals, in a journey that made it one of the most prominent Arab and Asian teams in presence and achievement.
The Saudi team needed to compete in 6 finals in the history of its participation in the Gulf Cup in order to succeed in breaking the knot that stuck with it in the final matches, after losing the previous five finals, before the awaited moment came in Jeddah, when it was crowned with the “Gulf 27” title at the expense of the Emirati team.
The previous five finals held different memories for the Saudi team, starting with a harsh loss to Kuwait with a score of 4-0 in a final held in Kuwait, before the failure was renewed in Muscat during “Gulf 19” in 2009, when the Omani team decided the final match on penalties.
In “Gulf 20” in Aden, the Saudi national team lost the final to Kuwait 1-0, then the fourth loss came at home in Riyadh during “Gulf 22” in 2014, when the Qatari team prevailed 2-1.
As for the last chapter of the series of losing finals, it came in Qatar against the Bahraini team, which won the final with a goal to none, bringing the tally of the “Green” team to 5 consecutive losses in the final matches.
But Jeddah had a different scenario this time. “Al-Akhdar” succeeded in overcoming the finals, turning the sixth final into a coronation station, after defeating the Emirati team with two goals to none, and lifting the “Gulf 27” Cup.
Thus, the Saudi team turned a page that extended through 5 consecutive finals without a title, and achieved its first victory in a final match after a series of failures, making the Jeddah final a turning point in the history of its participation in the Gulf Championship.
Moroccan coach Jamal Al-Salami began his mission in technical supervision of the Al-Fateh team, so that the team’s next match against Al-Ahly next Friday will be the first in his new mission.
The request for approval for the coach to lead the team was submitted to the Financial Sustainability Committee in order to obtain the necessary approvals in this regard.
This comes after the Saudi coach, Khaled Al-Atwi, was informed of the dispensation of his services by the club’s management, represented by Abdul Hamid Al-Jabr, the first football supervisor, without going into any details, as the meeting with the coach was held on Sunday to inform him of this step.
Al-Sharq Al-Awsat sources revealed that coach Al-Atwi calmly accepted this decision despite the shock it caused him, given that he had drawn up a program during the current suspension period for the Saudi Professional League championship, and a program had actually been drawn up and a friendly match against Al-Jeel, but he was surprised by this decision, which comes days before the resumption of the league championship.
According to the sources, the administration did not open any details with coach Al-Atwi regarding his dues, given that he is bound by a contract until the end of the season that includes penal conditions and specific obligations for each party, which means that the administration is prepared to pay all of the coach’s dues.
Al-Fateh occupies 15th place with 3 points from 7 matches, drawing 3 matches and losing the rest without achieving any wins.
Coach Al-Atwi justified these results due to the lack of time, as he was hired late, as well as the case for new players, the loss of local players, and the pressure of matches. He considered that the current suspension period was appropriate for preparation and a stronger return, but he lost his position.
