The U-23 Asian Cup triumph offers yet another showcase of the progress of Saudi football

RIYADH: The triumph of the Green Falcons at the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup, marked yet another successful milestone for Saudi Arabian football this year. The dominant performances at the tournament came on the back of a remarkable World Cup qualification campaign for the senior team, as well as the ongoing success of the Saudi clubs on the continental level, in addition to the great progress achieved by the women’s national team.

SAFF president, Yasser al Misehal said, “The success of the Saudi national teams demonstrates that our strategy is yielding positive results. Bringing back to the Kingdom the AFC U-23 Asian Cup for the first time ever with our very own Saudi national coach, Saad al Shehri, is a source of great pride and satisfaction The players who achieved this great feat will be part of the main drivers of the success of our National Team going forward.”

“This gives us greater confidence and trust in our younger generation, beside the achievements we had this year for both men’s and women’s football. We are working on developing a pathway tailored for every up-and-coming Saudi footballer on the grassroots level. We are working on extending a very large pool of Saudi talent with the support needed for the upcoming generations of Saudi football to match the highest professional levels of the game, be it in the technical and tactical aspects of the game, as well as the dietary, psychological, physical and athletic aspects,” he added.

The Saudi National team is set to take part in the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 in what will be the green falcons’ sixth World Cup participation. The Green Falcons booked their spot at the World Cup, having topped their qualification group which featured continental giants such as Japan and Australia.