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Saudi Arabia

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24th Qualifier
AFC (Asia)

The Country | The Road to FRANCE98 | The Team | Honours | Coach


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Land area: 2 240 000 kmē
Population: 18 000 000
Capital: Riyad
Main cities: Mecca, Djeddah
System of government: Monarchy
Head of state: King Fahd Ibn Abd al-Aziz
Currency: Rial
Time difference: 1 hour ahead of Paris

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AFC Zone, Group A:

14 September 97 Saudi Arabia - Kuwait 2-1
19 September 97 Iran - Saudi Arabia 1-1
3 October 97 China - Saudi Arabia 1-0
11 October 97 Saudi Arabia - Qatar 1-0
17 October 97 Kuwait - Saudi Arabia 2-1
24 October 97 Saudi Arabia - Iran 1-0
6 November 97 Saudi Arabia - China 1-1
12 November 97 Qatar - Saudi Arabia 0-1

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Goalkeeper: AL-DAEYA (age 25, 89 caps)
Defenders:  AL-JAHNI (age 22, 63 caps)
AL-KHLAIWI (age 26, 83 caps)
SULIMAN (age 24, 78 caps)
Mid-field: SULEIMANI (age 20, 35 caps)
AL-DOSSARI (age 24, 42 caps)
MAATER (age 22, 77 caps)
AL-MUWALID (age 26, 86 caps)
AL-TEMAWI (age 28, 42 caps)
Strikers: AL-MEHALLEL (age 27, 80 caps)
AL-JABER (age 27, 80 caps)

Number of players used during the qualifying rounds: 16

National team colours: white and green

FIFA ranking (on 1 November 1997): 37th


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1994: Round of 16

1984: Winner
1988: Winner
1996: Winner


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Otto PFISTER
Otto Pfister, from German, spent the vast majority of his coaching career in Africa before taking charge of Saudi Arabia several months ago. He has coached Rwanda, Burkina-Faso, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Zaire and Ghana (whom he led to the Final of the African Nations Cup in 1992). Pfister's goal next year will be to emulate his side's 1994 performance and reach the round of sixteen.