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Green enters the 2026 World Cup with its historic memories in 2022
A major miracle that no one expected was accomplished by the Saudi Arabian team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar when they beat their Argentine counterparts, the then South American champions and who later became world champions, 2-1 after going down 1-0.
The miracle of Argentina…and the dream of Spain
Although Al-Akhdar exited the tournament in the group stage with two defeats later to Poland and Mexico, this historic victory remained fresh in the minds of Saudi fans and they still dream of seeing it again at the 2026 World Cup.
Saudi Arabia are in Group Eight at the World Cup alongside Spain, Uruguay and Cape Verde and begin their campaign at dawn next Tuesday against the Latin team.
Despite the strength of Uruguay, the Saudi dream is to beat Spain this time, especially since they are the European champions of the last Nations Cup and the first candidate to win the World Cup, according to the statistics network Opta.
If the Argentina team has Messi who won the most Ballon d’Or in the 2022 World Cup, the Spanish team currently has the runner-up who won it in the last match, which is Lamine Yamal, which makes the victory over him also historic.
Arabic knot
What excites the Saudi fans the most about the possibility of repeating this miracle against the Spanish team is the suffering of the “matador” in recent matches against the Arab teams.
Spain drew 0-0 with Egypt last March and also drew with Iraq this June with the same goal.
It is true that the Spanish national team played the Iraq game with major substitutions in its ranks, but the draw confirms that it is not impossible for this team to slip up.
The fall of Saudi Arabia
However, the reality confirms that the decline is not only Spanish, because the Saudi Arabian national team has recently, particularly since the beginning of this year, recorded a significant drop in results, in which they won only one victory.
The only victory came at the expense of the Puerto Rican team, which is 95 places behind its Saudi counterpart, which means that it was normal under the conditions of the level difference.
Al-Akhdar, on the other hand, have lost 4 of their last 6 matches against Jordan, Egypt, Serbia and Venezuela and have drawn once against Senegal in addition to their only win against Puerto Rico.
These negative results weaken the chances of the Saudi Arabian national team to pull off a surprise against Spain and make beating them an unattainable dream.
New technical equipment
Perhaps the Saudi fans are armed with hope, especially after the dismissal of the French coach Herve Renard, who was heavily criticized while leading the Saudi Arabian national team, especially recently.
Greece’s Giorgos Donis, the new coach of the Saudi Arabia national team, has won the admiration of the fans after he introduced a change in the style of play, especially at the attacking level, which the Greens were suffering from under Renard.
Saudi fans are counting on the spirit and enthusiasm that the appointment of a new coaching staff can instill in the players to deliver their best performance in the World Cup in general and against Spain in particular.
However, the arrival of a new artistic apparatus, as much as it can inspire enthusiasm, can also cause artistic instability, especially since Denis’s style is completely different from that followed by Renard during his time.
In addition, Donis only took over as Greens coach two months before the start of the World Cup and played only 3 friendlies with him, which leaves his expected technical impact on the players less than desired.
A historical curse
Reality is not the only thing standing in the way of the Saudi Arabian national team’s dream. The story also challenges his ability to surprise his Spanish counterpart.
The Saudi Arabian national team has played 19 matches in the history of the world championships, of which they have won only 4, against 13 defeats and only two draws.
Of their four wins, the Greens have won just one against European opposition, notably Belgium at the 1994 World Cup, compared to 10 other defeats, including a clean sheet defeat to Spain in 2006.
Apart from the World Cup, the Saudi Arabian national team has never beaten Spain, nor even tied with them, although they have faced them 3 times before, losing all of them.
In addition to their 2006 World Cup appearance, Spain beat their Saudi counterpart 3-2 in a friendly in 2010 and 5-0 in 2012.
This curse also complicates the position of the Saudi Arabian national team, as it must challenge many realistic and historical factors in order to achieve another World Cup surprise by defeating Spain.
