Highlights from Saudi Arabia's first FIFA World Cup 2026 match
Go green
The Saudi National Team just played their first match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Uruguay this morning, and it was one for the books. If you’d like to relive the excitement, here are all the highlights from Saudi Arabia’s first FIFA World Cup 2026 match.
The team will be playing its next match against European champions Spain on Sunday June 21, at 7pm, for another stellar match. One that hopefully ends with the first Saudi win of the tournament.
The national anthem
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Like any international tournament, the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches always begin with the national anthems of both countries being played. But it truly hit different when the Saudi national anthem was played to over 60,000 people, with what felt like the whole stadium singing along. The best part? The entire Saudi team singing along with such incredible passion, getting the whole stadium amped up for a terrific match.
The flag
Thus far, all matches have seen huge flags of both countries displayed on the ground. For Saudi Arabia’s first FIFA World Cup 2026 match, though, the Saudi flag was raised above ground level during the pre-match ceremony to show respect for the Shahada ( the Islamic declaration of faith) written on it.
The first goal
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In the first half, at minute 41, after intense pressure from the Uruguay team, Abdulelah Al-Amri scored Saudi Arabia’s first goal of the FIFA World Cup, taking a 1-0 lead against Uruguay at the time. The match ended as a tie, but spirits were massively high after the goal, with the entire Saudi team performing sujood (the act of prostration or low bowing to Allah).
Al-Owais’s superb goalkeeping
Stealing the spotlight of the game was Mohammed Al-Owais, the Saudi goalkeeper. Pulling off some truly outstanding saves, the player marked a tournament high of nine saves throughout the game as the Green Falcons took on the two-time winners.
Visit: @SaudiNT
Images: Saudi National Team via Instagram
