Since their first FIFA U-20 World Cup™ in 1985, Saudi Arabia have been frequent participants on the global stage, featuring in nine previous editions of the tournament and progressing beyond the group stage in both Colombia 2011 and Korea Republic 2017.
With a tenth appearance at Chile 2025 on the horizon, the Young Greens are looking to break through the Round of 16 and go further than ever before, in a bid to write a fresh chapter in their history.
These high hopes come on the back of a strong continental campaign, in which Saudi Arabia reached the final of the 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup in China PR. Although they lost the title to Australia on penalties, a thrilling quarter-final win over China PR – sealed by Ammar Al Yahebi’s strike in the 95th minute – secured their ticket to the global youth showpiece.
Saudi Arabia’s Group F fixtures
29 September
Colombia v Saudi Arabia (20:00, Estadio Fiscal)
2 October
Nigeria v Saudi Arabia (20:00, Estadio Fiscal)
5 October
Saudi Arabia v Norway (20:00, Estadio El Teniente)
All times local
The coach: Marcos Soares
Marcos Soares started his career as a centre-back, making his debut with Brazlian club America RJ in 1996. His playing days took him through several clubs in Brazil’s lower divisions before he headed abroad in 2005 to play for Terengganu in Malaysia. He later returned home with Real Brasilia, where he hung up his boots in 2007.
It was not long before Soares returned to the football world, this time in the dugout. After starting as an assistant at Brasiliense in 2008, he worked several prominent roles in Brazil, including managing youth teams at Santos (U-20), Corinthians (U-17) and Botafogo (U-20). These experiences shaped him into a coach with a knack for developing young players and a style based on tactical flexibility to adapt to different match conditions.
The 50-year-old’s story in Saudi Arabia began when he took charge of the Al Hilal U-17s in 2021. His work with young talent quickly drew notice, and he was soon appointed to the helm of the U-19 team, before taking the reins of the U-20s the following year. He led the Young Greens to gold at the 2023 Arab Games in Algeria and then steered the team to overcome a group-stage loss to Iraq at the AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2025 in China PR and reach the final, where they fell to Australia on penalties.
Star player: Talal Haji
On 21 September 2023, aged just 16 years and five days, Talal Haji made his debut with Al Ittihad’s first team in a match against Al-Fateh, becoming the youngest player ever to feature in the Saudi Pro League. Barely five months later, he made the record books once again when he netted the winner against Al Akhdoud at 16 years and 174 days, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the league’s history and underlining a talent far beyond his years. Now 17, Haji is on loan at Al-Riyadh, where he has managed one goal in 10 appearances.
Just as Haji has created remarkable moments with his clubs, he has made his mark in international competition as well, playing with the Saudi senior team at the age of 16 years and 131 days against Thailand in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. For the U-20s, the rising Al Ittihad star provided the decisive assist against China PR that secured the team’s World Cup qualification, then returned in the final to score the equaliser against Australia.
Haji plays as a traditional No9. He combines power and pace, giving him an advantage in breaking past defenders. No giant at 177cm, he nevertheless displays impressive heading ability, together with a fine touch and dribbling flair that make him a well-rounded striker.
One to watch: Saad Haqawi
After coming on as a substitute for Al-Nassr against Al-Khaleej in the 2024/25 season, Saad Haqawi found himself clean through on goal in stoppage time. Presented with an opportunity to fire home, Haqawi chose instead to square the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo, contributing to the Portuguese legend’s quest for 1,000 career goals. The embrace from Ronaldo afterwards will live forever in the young player’s memory. The 19-year-old Haqawi told FIFA about that moment: “I could have scored the goal, but he needed it more than me, because he’s chasing goal number 1,000. It’s an incredible feeling to play with someone of his calibre.”
That selfless streak has carried over to his performance with Saudi Arabia. He proved pivotal to the team’s second-place finish at the AFC U-20 Asian Cup, not just with his two goals and an assist, but with a brilliant display as a second striker, linking midfield and attack and opening spaces for his team-mates.
