Popular sport in Saudi Arabia

by Hiro M.
(Tokyo, Japan)

What is a popular sport in Saudi Arabia? Mmm…camel racing!? The answer is SOCCER. Soccer is an extremely popular sport in Saudi Arabia. Especially the Saudi Arabia national soccer team is considered one of the most successful national teams in Asia.

Saudi Arabia has won the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup three times (1984, 1988, 1996) and qualified for the World Cup four consecutive times ever since debuting at the 1994 tournament!! Currently, Saudi Arabia is ranked 92th in the FIFA world rankings (July, 2011).

Thankfully, Japan won’t compete against Saudi Arabia in the next World Cup qualification tournament (AFC section). I hope Japan and Saudi Arabia will play in the 2014 FIFA World Cup as representatives of Asian countries!!