Iraq–Saudi Arabia football rivalry

Iraq–Saudi Arabia rivalry
Other names Iraq vs Saudi Arabia
Locale Asia
Teams  Iraq
 Saudi Arabia
First meeting 29 March 1976
(42 years ago)
Latest meeting Iraq 4–1 Saudi Arabia
Friendly
(28 February 2018)
Statistics
Meetings total 33
Most wins Iraq (16)
Largest victory Saudi Arabia 1–7 Iraq
4th Arabian Gulf Cup
(29 March 1976)

Iraq and Saudi Arabia are two fierce rivals of the Arab World. Their matches are often considered to be one of the most heated up rivalries in the world.

Although received lesser attention comparing to rivalry with Iran of both sides, it is one of the oldest rivalries in Asia.[1] Emotions often run high when two teams meet each others.

Reason behind the rivalry

The main reason behind this rivalry to exist is mainly due to political differences, and historical grievances. During the Gulf War at 1990s, Iraq invaded Kuwait, an ally of Saudi Arabia, and both fought a short but bloody war that would remain heavily affect on their relations.[2] Further more, accusations from Iraq that Saudi Arabia is instigating terrorism like ISIS and Al-Qaeda, further deepened enmity between two nations.

Matches

Source:[3]
# Date Competition Home team Score Away team Goals (home) Goals (away) Venue
1 29 March 1976 Arabian Gulf Cup Saudi Arabia 
1–7
  Iraq Qatar Doha
2 31 August 1976 Friendly Saudi Arabia 
0–0
  Iraq Unknown
3 14 December 1978 Asian Games Iraq 
1–1
  Saudi Arabia Thailand Bangkok
4 8 April 1979 Arabian Gulf Cup Iraq 
2–0
  Saudi Arabia Falah Hassan  24'
Hassan Farhan  36'		 Iraq Al Shaab Stadium, Baghdad
5 21 March 1981 FIFA World Cup qualifiers Saudi Arabia 
1–0
  Iraq Amin Mohammad  -' Saudi Arabia Riyadh
6 24 March 1982 Arabian Gulf Cup Iraq 
1–1
  Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates
7 1 December 1982 Asian Games Saudi Arabia 
0–1
  Iraq Haris Mohammed  17' India Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi
8 31 July 1983 Palestine Cup Iraq 
1–0
  Saudi Arabia Morocco
9 17 March 1984 Arabian Gulf Cup Iraq 
4–0
  Saudi Arabia Nadhim Shakir  25'
Hussein Saeed  57', 70', 84'		 Oman Royal Oman Police Stadium, Muscat
10 10 July 1985 Arab Nations Cup Iraq 
3–2
  Saudi Arabia Anad Abid  12', 18'
Hameed Rasheed  28'		 Saleh Nu'eimeh  12' (pen.)
Mohamed Abd Al-Jawad  88'		 Saudi Arabia King Fahd Stadium, Taif
11 30 March 1986 Friendly Iraq 
1–2
  Saudi Arabia Bahrain Manama
12 1 October 1986 Asian Games Saudi Arabia 
1–1 (a.e.t.)
  Iraq Mohammed Al-Shehrani  39' Haris Mohammed  51' South Korea Seoul Olympic Stadium, Seoul
13 16 March 1988 Arabian Gulf Cup Iraq 
2–0
  Saudi Arabia Ahmad Radhi  59'
Basil Gorgis  72'		 Saudi Arabia King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh
14 15 July 1988 Arab Nations Cup Iraq 
2–0
  Saudi Arabia Ahmad Radhi  13', 35' Jordan Amman
15 24 October 1993 FIFA World Cup qualifiers Iraq 
1–1
  Saudi Arabia Ahmed Radhi  1' Saeed Owairan  36' Qatar Khalifa International Stadium, Doha
16 8 December 1996 AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 
1–0
  Iraq Fahad Al-Mehallel  26' United Arab Emirates Al-Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
17 31 August 2001 FIFA World Cup qualifiers Saudi Arabia 
1–0
  Iraq Obeid Al-Dosari  45' Bahrain Bahrain National Stadium, Manama
18 5 October 2001 FIFA World Cup qualifiers Iraq 
1–2
  Saudi Arabia Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail  31' Abdullah bin Shehan  1', 77' Jordan Amman International Stadium, Amman
19 26 July 2004 AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 
1–2
  Iraq Hamad Al-Montashari  57' Nashat Akram  51'
Younis Mahmoud  86'		 China Sichuan Longquanyi Stadium, Chengdu
20 5 December 2005 West Asian Games Iraq 
5–1
  Saudi Arabia Haidar Abdul-Amir  8'
Emad Mohammed  19'
Nashat Akram  30'
Younis Mahmoud  51', 78'		 Naif Al-Qadi  53' Qatar Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
21 8 December 2005 West Asian Games Iraq 
2–0
  Saudi Arabia Luay Salah  33'
Razzaq Farhan  85'		 Qatar
22 15 March 2006 Friendly Saudi Arabia 
2–2
  Iraq Nawaf Al-Temyat  18'
Sami Al-Jaber  59'		 Mohammed Nassir  28'
Haidar Abdul-Amir  90+4'		 Saudi Arabia Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, Jeddah
23 24 January 2007 Arabian Gulf Cup Saudi Arabia 
1–0
  Iraq Yasser Al-Qahtani  12' (pen.) United Arab Emirates Al-Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi
24 29 July 2007 AFC Asian Cup Iraq 
1–0
  Saudi Arabia Younis Mahmoud  72' Indonesia Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta
25 22 March 2009 Friendly Saudi Arabia 
0–0
  Iraq Saudi Arabia King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh
26 28 December 2010 Friendly Saudi Arabia 
0–1
  Iraq Younis Mahmoud  24' Saudi Arabia Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam
27 5 July 2012 Arab Nations Cup Saudi Arabia 
0–1
  Iraq Alaa Abdul-Zahra  16' Saudi Arabia Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Jeddah
28 6 January 2013 Arabian Gulf Cup Saudi Arabia 
0–2
  Iraq Salam Shaker  18'
Osama Hawsawi  72' (o.g.)		 Bahrain Khalifa Sports City Stadium, Isa Town
29 15 October 2013 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers Iraq 
0–2
  Saudi Arabia Osama Hawsawi  34'
Nasser Al-Shamrani  78'		 Jordan Amman International Stadium, Amman
30 15 November 2013 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers Saudi Arabia 
2–1
  Iraq Taisir Al-Jassim  18'
Nasser Al-Shamrani  60'		 Younis Mahmoud  45+1' Saudi Arabia Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam
31 6 September 2016 FIFA World Cup qualifiers Iraq 
1–2
  Saudi Arabia Mohannad Abdul-Raheem  18' Nawaf Al Abed  81' (pen.), 88' (pen.) Malaysia Shah Alam Stadium, Shah Alam
32 28 March 2017 FIFA World Cup qualifiers Saudi Arabia 
1–0
  Iraq Yahya Al-Shehri  53' Saudi Arabia King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah
33 28 February 2018 Friendly Iraq 
4–1
  Saudi Arabia Saeed Al-Robeai  21' (o.g.)
Emad Mohsin  47'
Mohannad Ali  51', 73'		 Hassan Muath Fallatah  57' Iraq Basra Sports City, Basra

Statistics

Matches held in Iraq2
Matches held in neutral venue22
Matches held in Saudi Arabia9
Total matches33
Matches won by Iraq16
Matches won by Saudi Arabia10

See also

References

  1. ↑ https://socceriraq.net/2018/02/27/match-preview-iraq-vs-saudi-arabia/
  2. ↑ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1993-10-15/sports/9310190165_1_saudi-arabia-world-cup-usa-south-korea-north-korea
  3. ↑ https://www.11v11.com/teams/iraq/tab/opposingTeams/opposition/Saudi%20Arabia/
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