JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia secured a place at the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday with a goalless draw against Iraq in Jeddah in the fourth round of the Asian qualifiers. The hard-fought point was enough to give the Green Falcons top spot in Group B and guarantee their seventh appearance at the finals.
While the majority of the 60,000 or so fans in Jeddah were celebrating at the end, the tense and attritional game was far from an easy watch. As such, it was a reflection of much of the qualification campaign that preceded it.
But few in the crowd cared about any of that as coach Herve Renard, his players and Saudi officials celebrated on the pitch at the final whistle. It was a case of “job done,” with a summer of football on the world stage in North America to look forward to next year.
The Saudis made most of the running in the first half and throughout the game, pinning Iraq back, but creating clear chances proved difficult.
One of the better opportunities came after 14 minutes when Musab Al-Juwayr’s long ball over the top freed Saleh Abu Al-Shamat down the right, but the 23-year-old’s shot was just a little high. Soon after, Salem Al-Dawsari let fly from outside the area but failed to trouble Jalal Hassan in goal.
The closest Iraq would come was when Ibrahim Bayesh had a shot from close range blocked.
Seven minutes before the break, Abu Al-Shamat danced through the defense and burst into the area but, with just the goalkeeper to beat at the near post he elected to square the ball, which allowed the defense to clear.
The second half continued in a similar pattern, with Saudi Arabia pushing and probing. Ten minutes in, Abu Al-Shamat forced a flying save from Hassan with a shot from outside the area. Further shots went high and wide, and there was always a worry that Iraq, who were still not really threatening, might sooner or later get that one chance they needed.
With 14 minutes remaining, they launched a rare foray into the home penalty area, with Mohanad Ali twisting and turning in an attempt to get a shot off. When he finally did, however, Hassan Tambakti was on hand to make the block.
Just when it looked as if it was all over, Nawaf Al-Aqidi made a fine save from an Iraqi free-kick in the 94th minute. And that was that.
Few will remember the action on the pitch in this game, but the home fans and players will not forget the feeling of qualifying for another World Cup after a long, exhausting, and not totally convincing, campaign. The really hard work starts now.
The Iraqis, meanwhile, finished second in the group and will face Group A runners-up the UAE next month in a playoff over two legs, the winners of which will advance to the inter-confederation playoffs. Also on Tuesday, the Emiratis lost 2-1 to Qatar, who secured their place at the finals next year.
