By Turki Al Mutairi | Contributing Writer
With 188 nations now included in the list of FIFA’s women’s world rankings, Saudi Arabia has
made their debut at 171; a respectable placement considering their relative lack of experience.
This highlights the significant development that has taken place in women’s football in the
Kingdom since 2019 when the Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF) first developed the
Women’s Football Department, headed by Lamia Bahaian.
“Our national team made history when it was established 18 months ago and since then their
journey has inspired millions across Saudi Arabia and the region,” said Bahaian, the supervisor
of the Women’s Football Department and SAFF board member.
The official recognition continues the rapid development of the women’s game within the
Kingdom, which has seen unprecedented growth in the past two years. It also means the team
can now enter both FIFA and AFC-sanctioned events.
“What these girls have achieved in just a year and a half has been nothing short of incredible,”
said SAFF President Yasser Al-Misehal. Adding, “Since 2019, we have managed to successfully
establish a national team, a premier league, a first division, a school league, with fifty-thousand
girls signing up, and an under-17 national team”, the statement continued.
To get to this point, it has been an 18-month journey that began with the formation of the team in
September 2021, after more than 700 players took part in nationwide tryouts in Riyadh, Jeddah,
and Dammam.
In order to select the first 28 players for the national team’s first-ever training camp in Riyadh in
November of that same year, Monika Staab, a German manager, and former player evaluated
each of those players. Monika Staab undertook the enormous task of establishing the national
team from scratch. Staab has since been promoted to technical director, with Rosa
Lappi-Seppälä from Finland taking over as the new coach.
It wasn’t until a few months later that they played their first official matches in a three-team
tournament with the Maldives and Seychelles, beating both teams 2-0. Since then, there have
been a further seven official games, and early this year, Saudi Arabia organized its first women’s
football tournament against Pakistan, Comoros, and Mauritius.
“Each player has their own story, but what we all share is a love of football and a desire to
compete,” national team captain Sarah Khalid said. Adding, “To be FIFA ranked makes us part
of world football and that means everything. We recognize that we have a huge responsibility to
inspire the youth and pave the way for the future generations who will represent Saudi Arabia”.
After receiving official recognition, the attention now shifts to the future and developing a viable
women’s football program. To that purpose, the under-17 national squad was recently founded,
and they played their inaugural matches earlier in March against Kuwait. The senior team’s next
matchups are planned as they strive to improve their debut ranking.
At the moment, the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 bid from Saudi Arabia is the center of
interest. Being the second country in West Asia to host this competition, the nation hopes to
promote the development of women’s football within its borders.