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Saudi Arabia at the World Cup

Saudi Arabia had a delayed introduction to the world game, as the royal family had forbidden football in the kingdom until 1951. Saudi Arabia have participated in five previous World Cups, in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018 and 2022.

The country's greatest achievement was reaching the last sixteen at the first appearance at the World Cup in 1994. Shock wins over Belgium and Morocco saw them reach the second round, where Sweden proved too strong and triumphed 3-1.

In 2022, the Saudi Arabia team achieved one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history, defeating one of the tournament favorites Argentina 2-1 in their opening game. However, it was not enough to progress out of the group stage.

Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

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