Saudi Arabia’s national team are not showing enough to inspire confidence ahead of the Gulf Cup and AFC Asian Cup 2027, according to Saudi sports broadcaster Waleed Al-Farraj, who has blamed the country’s shortage of emerging talent on the heavy use of foreign players in domestic football.
Al-Farraj criticised the national team’s current position before their return to official competition, saying its prospects in the two upcoming tournaments were a cause for concern.
“The state of the Saudi national team before the Gulf Cup and Asian Cup does not inspire optimism about competing, at least in either tournament,” Al-Farraj wrote on his personal account on X.
Saudi Arabia will host the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup in September and October this year. The country will then stage the AFC Asian Cup 2027 at the beginning of next year.
Al-Farraj said the team’s difficulties should lead to a reassessment of the number of overseas players allowed in the Saudi league.
“After that, we will reach the conclusion that the number of foreign players in the Saudi league should be reduced. The crisis facing Al-Akhdar, caused by a shortage of talent, has been created by the excessive recruitment of foreign players at every level,” he added.
His comments follow a period of debate in Saudi Arabia over the regulations governing foreign players in the Roshn Saudi League. The permitted number has recently risen to 10, with eight players allowed at any age level and a further two permitted under the age of 21.
Saudi Arabia’s latest World Cup campaign ended in the group stage. They finished bottom of Group H with two points, having drawn with Uruguay and Cape Verde before suffering a 4-0 defeat by Spain.
The result added to concerns about the national side before two major tournaments on home soil. Saudi Arabia’s upcoming schedule includes the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup later this year, followed by the AFC Asian Cup 2027 early next year.
The national team have also endured a lengthy wait for silverware. They have not won a title for 23 years, with their most recent success coming at the 2003 Arabian Gulf Cup.
Their biggest achievement since then was reaching the final of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. Saudi Arabia were beaten by Iraq in that final and have not added another major international trophy since.
Al-Farraj’s remarks therefore link the national team’s immediate competitive prospects with a broader discussion about the structure of domestic football. His central argument is that the increased presence of overseas players across the Saudi league has limited opportunities for Saudi players to develop and has contributed to what he described as a lack of talent available to the national side.
