Saudi Arabia Wants to Upset Expectations in the 2025 Gold Cup

While Mexico, the United States, and Canada entered the Concacaf Gold Cup as strong favorites, Saudi Arabia has emerged as a dark horse aiming to disrupt the regional powers. Invited by Concacaf, the Green Falcons are hoping to make a deep run under experienced French coach Hervé Renard: they have already produced a solid debut on Sunday, beating Haiti 1-0 at the Snapdragon Stadium. Competing in Group D alongside them are the United States and Trinidad and Tobago.

Saudi Arabia has already shown its ability to make an impact on the world stage. At the 2022 World Cup, they stunned eventual champions Argentina with a 2–1 victory in their opening match. Though they fell short against Poland and Mexico, the performance proved they’re no pushovers.

For this tournament, Saudi Arabia is missing key players like Salem Al-Dawsari and Mohamed Kanno due to Al Hilal’s Club World Cup commitments. Still, the team fields a competitive squad, primarily made up of domestic league players, with a few playing in Belgium, Italy, and France’s second division.

This marks the third time an Asian nation has joined the Gold Cup, following South Korea (2000, 2002) and Qatar (2021, 2023). Both reached the semifinals, setting a high benchmark. Overall, Saudi Arabia is the eighth invited team since the tournament’s inception in 1991. Despite strong runs from teams like Brazil and Colombia, no guest nation has ever won the Gold Cup.

The challenge is clear, but the Saudis arrive with ambition — and the potential to surprise.