Saudi Arabia's under-17 national team defeats Qatar in preparation for the Asian Cup
A well-deserved victory at the end of the training camp
achieved The Saudi Arabia U-17 national team a significant morale-boosting and technical victory against their Qatari counterparts, winning 1-0. This victory came in a friendly match held on Tuesday evening, which concluded their overseas training camp in Qatar. This camp is part of a long-term preparation program aimed at getting the young Green Falcons ready for the 2026 AFC U-17 Championship.
Match details and the Green Team's lineup
The match was highly competitive, but the Green Falcons held the tactical advantage. The talented Hamad Al-Shammari capitalized on this advantage, scoring the only goal of the game in the 60th minute, securing a well-deserved victory for his country.
The experienced national coach, Ahmed Al-Hanfoush, opted for a balanced starting lineup featuring a selection of rising talents. The starting eleven consisted of: Abdullah Al-Mas in goal, and the players: Ali Yahya, Jawad Al-Hashem, Ammar Maimani, Abdulrahman Al-Mami, Mohammed Al-Sayed, Tamim Siraj, Hamad Al-Shammari, Abdullah Al-Dosari, Faisal Bayoumi, and Yahya Saeed. This lineup reflects the technical depth the national team possesses across all positions.
The importance of the event and the road to the 2026 World Cup
These preparations are of great importance at the regional and international levels, as the AFC U-17 Championship 2026 is not just a continental championship, but the official gateway to qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026. Adding to the importance of this stage is the new direction of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), which recently approved holding the U-17 World Cup annually starting from 2025, with an increase in the number of participating teams to 48 teams, which opens up wider horizons for Arab and Asian teams to be strongly present in the global event.
Historical context and strategy for developing age groups
Historically, the Saudi national team boasts a rich history of achievements at the youth levels, both in Asia and globally. They have won the AFC U-16 Championship in 1985 and 1988, in addition to their historic triumph at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1989 in Scotland. Today, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation is striving to revive these past glories through a comprehensive strategy aligned with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030's sports program.
This strategy relies on early talent identification, providing high-level professional training camps, and playing strong friendly matches against advanced teams in the region, such as the Qatari national team. This continuous exposure ensures the development of a solid generation of footballers capable of supplying the first team in the near future and raising the Kingdom's flag high in all international sporting events.
