2026 FIFA World Cup Countdown: Saudi Arabia Topple the Champions-to-be

76 Days to Go: Saudi Arabia Pull Off a Stunner

At the World Cup, whenever it rolls around, everyone absolutely loves an underdog run or a particular upset.

South Korea's group-defining win over Germany in 2018, Costa Rica's thrilling quarter-final run in 2014 and through all of the shock wins and campaigns that have stretched on throughout the tournament's 96-year history, the 'little guy' getting the big win has always been a staple.

2022 was no different. The stage was Qatar and the time was, strangely, in the winter, and all of the fuss going into the tournament was surrounding Argentina, Lionel Messi and the perceived 'last chance' for Messi to secure the one jewel absent from his crown. However, upon meeting a pesky Saudi Arabia side on the opening day of the tournament, those familiar doubts over those fleeting chances came straight to the forefront after a shock defeat.

Saudi Arabia's Big Day Out

Saudi Arabia have been a fairly common sight at World Cups, having qualified for six out of the last eight tournaments, but are not necessarily a nation in close contact with the headlines with their best advancement in the event being a Round of 16 exit back in the United States in 1994 which, incidentally, was their debut in the competition.

So despite not having too many memorably stories of their own to call back on, one fateful day in 2022 saw them potentially interrupt one of the most anticipated stories in football's very history. They were drawn in Group C in Qatar, and would face off against Mexico and Poland during their time in the groups. However, before those games, they had the small task of squaring off against an Argentina side featuring a Lionel Messi desperate to add the World Cup to his impressive trophy haul, and not let it become the one mark against his legendary career.

🚨| Argentina have lost one of their last 49 national team games, their only defeat came from Saudi Arabia 😳 pic.twitter.com/ELXUSk3vwU

— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) September 12, 2023

A daunting task, of course, but Saudi Arabia had the opportunity to play the role of disruptor, with little interest in the stories of others.

Argentina came out the blocks swinging, with Al Hilal shot-stopper Mohammed Al Owais being called into action twice within the opening ten minutes to beat away efforts from Lionel Messi himself.

The expected storyline opened out as what was predicted to be on the ten-minute mark, however, when Leandro Paredes was hauled to the deck amidst a corner routine by central defender Ali Al-Bulayhi. It was down to Messi, once again, to step up from 12 yards and roll the spot kick beyond Al Owais to hand Argentina an early lead.

Argentina would push on further, but could do nothing to extend their lead beyond a solo goal at the interval thanks to defensive and goalkeeper heroics from the Hassan Al Tambakti and Al Owais once again.

Hatewatched every Argentina game 22 WC and they won every game after Saudi Arabia

Hatewatched 22/23 City and they won the title

Hatewatched 23/24 City and they won the title

Hatewatched Liverpool 24/25 and they won the title

Hatewatching 25/26 City and they're gonna win pic.twitter.com/NN3z7ZIBGp

— general (@whosgenrul) February 11, 2026

When the second half began, there was a shift in the air through the Saudi Arabian ranks. Where beforehand they had been sitting deep and attempting to absorb whatever their legendary foes could throw their way, they were now looking to press proactively and move the ball forward with a directness and pace not seen by them yet in this contest.

And funnily enough, it was a Messi error that would precede the minnow's restoration of parity. As the then-PSG star attempted to pirouette away from danger in the centre-circle, he gave the ball away carelessly to a combination of Al Tambakti and Al Hilal's Abdulelah Al Malki.

The latter would send a direct arrow through the spine of the Argentina team, which fell fortuitously at the feet of Al-Ittihad striker Saleh Al-Shehri, after a helpful touch into his path from 22-year-old winger Firas Al-Buraikan.

He had to contend with the physical edge of Tottenham captain Cristian Romero as he piled towards the edge of the box, but he held off his advances to burrow a striker underneath his sliding leg and beyond Aston Villa star Emi Martinez to find the bottom corner superbly and get the game to level terms.

🇸🇦✨ ON THIS DAY IN 2022:

The half-time team talk that changed it all for Saudi Arabia against Argentina. They went on to win 2-1 in the second half...

pic.twitter.com/1qKAf3sbYp

— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) November 22, 2024

And then, just four minutes later, hope was converted to elation amongst the Saudi ranks as they took a stunning lead through Al Hilal winger Salem Al-Dawsari. And let me tell you, this goal was a work of art from a national legend with over 100 caps to his name.

After a lofted ball had been cleared skywards, Al-Dawsari brought the ball down on the edge of the area turning away from the goal. With the ball loose, he took a bit of luck to spin away from the back-tracking Angel Di Maria, clipped a touch beyond Atletico Madrid's Nahuel Molina, body-feinted away from Rodrigo de Paul with ease and sent a spinning drive goalwards under the duress of a sliding Paredes in front of him.

It seemed that time slowed down as the ball moved through the air, but despite Martinez's very best efforts to keep the ball out, it flew into the back of the net to put Saudi Arabia in front against the favourites for the entire tournament.

HISTÓRICO 🇸🇦🇸🇦🇸🇦

ARABIA SAUDITA DERROTA A ARGENTINA Y LE QUITA EL INVICTO DE MÁS DE UN AÑO y 35 PARTIDOS

BENDITO FUTBOL 😱 pic.twitter.com/5I8TvcSr7R

— Analistas (@SomosAnalistas_) November 22, 2022

Argentina, realising the urgency of the situation, were straight back onto the front foot but, sadly for them, they had to contend with a Al Owais turning in a career-best performance in Qatar. A clipped cross from the right was poked goalwards by Nicolas Tagliafico, but there was Al Owais to turn it around the post in a split-second. Messi once again made himself known with a leaping header at the back post, but once again Al Owais was the man to interrupt with a flying catch.

The Argentines pushed and pushed with everything that they had, but Saudi Arabia were lit with a passion and urgency that no titan could hope to surmount on that day. After a mammoth 36-game unbeaten run, Argentina's first hurdle in their desperate pursuit of World Cup glory had seen them trip and fall.

Saudi Arabia's spirits didn't carry them through the next games, sadly. Where Argentina picked themselves up, dusted off Mexico and Poland and obviously went on to win the whole thing, Herve Renard's men were beaten away in their next two games and finished bottom of Group C in 2022, after Mexico and Poland both defeated them and then drew against one another.

It's been a year since Saudi Arabia stunned the world by beating Argentina in their Group C opener at the 2022 World Cup 😱😵🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/69NZPkSCZZ

— OneFootball (@OneFootball) November 22, 2023

But this match felt like the striking of a match for Saudi Arabi and football there in general. Just a month or two after Messi lifted the gold after a thrilling final with France, his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo became the first high-profile name to make the jump to the Saudi Pro League by way of Al-Nassr, opening the floodgates for dozens of exciting talent from across the globe to seek the vast fortunes available in the division.

We will be seeing Saudi Arabia once again this summer, qualifying for the 2026 edition in the United States and beyond later this year which is the same nation in which they produced their best-ever result en-debut back in 1994. And from there? Well, we'll be seeing them in 2034 as they have been locked in as the hosting nation of that year's tournament too.

Though it didn't spell overwhelming success for them back in 2022, this famous win over Argentina helped light the fuse behind the mega-billions sports programmes in Saudi Arabia today, which has helped dominate the landscape of not only football, but sport in general.

And in the next generation? One full of today's fiscal investment and inspired young footballers across the country? Who's to say that we won't see Saudi Arabia pull off more shocks like this in years to come... or maybe more than that.