The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF; ) is the

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. Founded in 1956, It's responsibilities include administration of club competitions and national teams. The founder of the federation is Prince Abdullah bin Faisal.

History

The SAFF was formally established in 1956 and the same year it joined the

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

and the

Asian Football Confederation The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in most countries and territories in Asia. The AFC was formed in 1954. It has 47 members. The Asian Ladies Football Confederation ( ...

in 1974, to begin the process of organizing his local championships in addition to his external contributions during which he achieved many great achievements. The SAFF organizes local football competitions, in addition to organizing the participation of Saudi national teams and clubs internationally, as it effectively supervises 153 clubs participating in football competitions. Premier, First, Second, and Third) – The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Champions – U-23 Championship (for the First and First Class) – Youth League Championship (Premier and First Class Clubs) – and the Junior League for Premier and Clubs First Class. The SAFF is considered one of the most famous federations in the Asian continent in the field of football. On the regional level, the Saudi national team has won the Gulf Cup title 3 times in its history. Continental, the first Saudi national football team has not been absent from the final of the Asian Cup since 1984 until In 2004, when its absence from the final of the championship that was held in China, which the Japanese team won, was the first since 1984. During the Saudi national team's qualifying in the Asian Cup final five times in a row, they won the title three times, its beginning in 1984 and then in 1988 and 1996 after it had lost the 1992 and 2000 finals to the Japanese team with the same result 1–0. At the international level, the Saudi team qualified to the World Cup Finals four times in a row since its debut in 1994, where they ended up in round 16 after they were defeated by Sweden 3–1, as their best result in its history, until the 2006 World Cup in Germany. before they qualified again to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. And the Saudi Arabia U-16 team achieved the

1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship The 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship, the third edition of the tournament, was held in the Scottish cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Motherwell, Aberdeen, and Dundee between 10 and 24 June 1989. Players born after 1 August 1972 could participate in ...

held in Scotland in 1989 after defeating in the final match against the host nation, becoming the first Asian team to win a FIFA tournament. As of August 2021, they remain the only Asian men's team to win any FIFA tournament. Clubs also a number of continental championships at the level of football competitions in the Asian continent, also the first Asian team to participate in Club World Cup was the Saudi Al-Nassr in 2000, followed by

Al-Ittihad Al-Ittihad may refer to: Sports Football Men Teams * Al-Ittihad Club (Jeddah), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia * Al Ittihad SCSC (Tripoli), Tripoli, Libya * Al Ittihad Gheryan, Gharyan, Libya * Al Ittihad Misurata SC, Misurata, Libya * Al Ittihad SC ...

in 2005. SAFF appointed Croatian Romeo Jozak as technical director on 22 July 2021.

List of presidents of SAFF

The following is a list of presidents of The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) since its establishment in 1956. * 1956–1971: Khalid bin Faisal Al-Saud * 1971–1999: Faisal bin Fahd Al-Saud * 1999–2011: Sultan bin Fahd Al-Saud * 2011–2014: Nawaf bin Faisal Al-Saud * 2014–2016: Ahmad Eid Al-Harbi * 2016–2018: Adel Ezzat * 2018–2019: Kosay Abdulaziz Al-Fawaz * 2019–present: Yasser Al-Misehal

Association staff (Current)

Domestic competitions

;Leagues – Men *

Saudi Pro League The Saudi Pro League (SPL), also known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Saudi Arabia and the highest level of the Saudi football league system. The SPL is regarded as th ...

Saudi First Division League The Saudi First Division League (), currently known as the Yelo League for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of professional football in Saudi Arabia. It ranks below the Saudi Pro League and above the Saudi Second Division League in the ...

Saudi Second Division League The Saudi Second Division League, also known as the Second Division League (SDL), is a football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), ...

* Saudi League Third Division League * Saudi Fourth Division League * Saudi Reserve league (defunct) ;Leagues – Youth *

Saudi Elite League U–21 Saudi or Saudi Arabian may refer to: * Saudi Arabia * Saudis, people from Saudi Arabia * Saudi culture, the culture of Saudi Arabia * House of Saud The House of Saud ( ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the des ...

Saudi Premier League U–19 Saudi or Saudi Arabian may refer to: * Saudi Arabia * Saudis, people from Saudi Arabia * Saudi culture, the culture of Saudi Arabia * House of Saud The House of Saud ( ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the des ...

* Saudi First Division League U–19 * Saudi Premier Division League U–17 * Saudi First Division League U–17 * Saudi Premier Division League U–15 * Saudi First Division League U–15 * Sauei Premier Division League U–13 * Saudi First Division League U–13 ; Leagues – Women *

Saudi Women's Premier League The Saudi Women's Premier League officially the SAFF Women's Premier League () is the top flight of women's football in Saudi Arabia. History The first Saudi women's club were King's United based in Jeddah, and Eastern Flames in Dhahran. Bot ...

* Saudi Women's First Division League * Saudi Women's Second Division League * SAFF Women's National Football Championship (defunct) * Women's Community Football League (defunct) * Saudi Women's U–17 Tournament ;Cups – Men * King's Cup *

Saudi Super Cup The Saudi Super Cup () is the annual super cup tournament in Saudi Arabian football. Founded in 2013 as a two-team competition, the Super Cup has been contested by four teams since 2022: the winners and runners-up of the King's Cup and the Sa ...

* Crown Prince's Cup (defunct) *

Saudi Federation Cup The Prince Faisal bin Fahd Cup, formerly known as the Saudi Federation Cup, was an association football competition organized by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. History The competition was founded in the 1975–76 season, with Al-Nassr a ...

(defunct) * Saudi Founder's Cup (held every 100 years) ;Cups – Women * SAFF Women's Cup * Saudi Women's Super Cup ;Other - Men * Saudi Beach Soccer Premier League * Saudi Futsal Premier League * Saudi Futsal First Division League * SAFF Futsal Cup * Saudi Futsal Super Cup ;Other - Women * Saudi Women's Futsal Tournament

National teams

;Men's: * Senior National Football Team * National Football Team U-23 * National Football Team U-20 * National Football Team U-21 * National Football Team U-19 * National Football Team U-17 ;Women's * Senior National Football Team * National Football Team U-20 * National Football Team U-17

SAFF+ platform

*SAFF+ is a digital platform designed to enhance football performance and talent identification in Saudi Arabia. Launched on 27 February 2024 as part of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation's (SAFF) long-term strategy, it focuses on transforming the country's football scene. The platform supports coaches and scouts by providing reliable data for evaluating player performance and discovering promising talent. It plays a key role in SAFF's technology pillar, leveraging innovative solutions for performance analysis, talent identification, and player development. SAFF+ also offers broadcast coverage for any league in the country without a TV partner. Additionally, it serves as a digital hub for fans, offering updates on SAFF activities, events, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content. Through this initiative, Saudi Arabia aims to reach elite status in world football. *Website:

Controversies

During

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA FIFA#Structure, confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia national football team, Rus ...

, the fixtures between Saudi Arabia and

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

were switched after Saudi Arabia cited “exceptional conditions” for their inability to travel to the West Bank. The return fixture, originally to be played on 13 October 2015 at the

Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium () is an association football stadium on Dahiat al'Barid Street of Al-Ram in Jerusalem Governorate, Palestine. It is one of the home stadiums of the Palestine national football team. The stadium was na ...

Al-Ram Al-Ram (), also transcribed as Al-Ramm, El-Ram, Er-Ram, and A-Ram, is a Palestinian town which lies northeast of Jerusalem, just outside the city's municipal border. The village is part of the built-up urban area of Jerusalem, the Atarot industr ...

, was later postponed due to Saudi Arabia's refusal to pass through Israeli-controlled borders, until the process of agreeing on the venue was concluded. The match was rescheduled to be played on 5 November 2015 in Palestine, after the

Palestinian Football Association The Palestinian Football Association () is the governing body for football in Palestine, and for the men's Palestine national football team and the Palestine women's national football team. History Palestinian Jewish formation The Mandatory Pa ...

gave full security guarantees for the match. The match was later further delayed until 9 November, and to be changed to a neutral venue in Asia, as the Palestinian government confirmed that it could no longer guarantee the safety and security for the match. The neutral venue was announced to be Amman International Stadium in

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

. In 2016, the SAFF refused to travel to Iran during the

2016 AFC Champions League The 2016 AFC Champions League was the 35th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 14th under the current AFC Champions League title. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors defeated Al ...

. On 8 June 2017, the Saudi Arabia national team failed to observe a moment of silence before a World Cup qualifying match against Australia in honor of the 2017 London Bridge attack victims. In November 2017, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain pulled out of the 23rd Arabian Gulf Cup due to the 2017 Qatar diplomatic crisis. However, they eventually participated in the competition after the host country was moved to Kuwait.

References

External links

Official website

at FIFA website {{UAFA Football Football in Saudi Arabia 1956 establishments in Saudi Arabia

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

Sports organizations established in 1956 Association football governing bodies in Asia Member associations of the West Asian Football Federation Members of the Union of Arab Football Associations Members of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation