Popular sports in Saudi Arabia

Football

Football is the most popular sport in Saudi Arabia, attracting the largest sports attendances of over 50,000 for top club and international games. There is also a strong culture of participation with daily use of informal sand pitches throughout the Kingdom.

The Saudi Professional League (SPL) is the top division and there are three other divisions. The league was founded in 1976 and became professional in 1990. The top three SPL teams qualify for the AFC Champions League while two teams are relegated / promoted between the divisions each season.

The Saudi Arabian national team known as Sogour meaning ‘The Falcons’, competes in many competitions on the world and Asian stage, including the FIFA World Cup, the AFC Asian Nations Cup, the Gulf Cup of Nations, and the Arab Nations Cup.

The teams best performance in the FIFA World Cup was on its debut in 1994 when it qualified for the first knockout stage. The team’s highest year-end FIFA ranking was 21st in 2004 and it has regularly been ranked in the 30s. The Falcons have a strong record in the Asian Cup, winning at its first attempt in 1984, and retaining the trophy in 1988. They won the tournament again in 1996, and finished as runners-up in 1992, 2000, and 2007

Athletics

Athletics is one of the more developed sports in Saudi Arabia, with a good number of sports clubs participating in the three adult and two youth athletics divisions. It is also one of the strongest sports in the Kingdom in terms of international performance. Saudi Arabia has attended nine Olympic Games since 1972 with the exception of the 1980 Moscow Games, winning one silver and two bronze medals. Saudi Arabia finished 13th in the medal table at the 2006 Doha Asian Games, behind hosts Qatar but ahead of other Gulf nations, and finished seventh at the 2007 Pan Arab Games with eight gold medals, and 45 medals overall.

Basketball

Basketball is another popular sport in Saudi Arabia. It is one of the major indoor team sports in Saudi Arabia and is included in the physical education program in 20% of state schools. Basketball is one of the few sports in which women participate, though this is on an informal basis.