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Sport inSaudi Arabia is an important part ofSaudi Arabian culture and the country participates in many international sporting competitions along with multiple esport competitions.Football is a particularly popular sport and Saudi Arabia has won theAsian Cup on three occasions, while other sports such as cricket and basketball are also widely followed.
In December 2019, theSaudi Arabian Olympic Committee approved the launch of five new sports federations each for hockey, lacrosse, rugby, baseball and softball, thus taking another step towards diversifying the country's sports landscape.[1]
Football is the most popular sport in Saudi Arabia.[2] In recent years, the sport has grown in popularity, and some Saudi players currently play in Europe. TheSaudi Arabia national football team is governed by theSaudi Football Federation (SFF). The SFF organises theSaudi leagues, and theSaudi Arabian Cup. The Saudi national team has competed in sixFIFA World Cup competitions, in1994,1998,2002,2006,2018 and most recently, in2022. The Saudi team has also competed in sevenAFC Asian Cup competitions, first in 1984. Achievements from the AFC Cup include being the Champions in1984,1988, and recently, in1996. The current player of the year isHussein Sulaimani,[when?] who is the captain of Saudi Arabia football team. Saudi Arabia also regularly participate in theArabian Gulf Cup,AFC Champions League, andArab Nations Cup. The kingdom is set to hostSupercopa de Espana for the first time. However, the response of international fans, especially from Spain, hasn't been too well, with only under 10% of the tickets been sold until now.[3] Saudi Arabia will host two big football competitions in the coming years: theAFC Asian Cup in 2027 and theFIFA World Cup in 2034.
TheFormula 1 Powerboat World Championship held a race at Sunset Beach in 2004.[4] The 2019 edition was cancelled due to bad weather. The 2020 edition was cancelled due toCOVID-19 pandemic.[5]
TheDakar Rally cross-country race is held in Saudi Arabia since 2020; local driverYazeed Al-Rajhi won the cars category in2025.
The2018 Race of Champions was held at King Fahd International Stadium.
Saudi Arabia hosts aFormula E electric car race since 2018, originally atDiriyah and currently atJeddah.
TheSaudi Arabian Grand PrixFormula One race is held since 2021 at Jeddah. The venue also hosted theFIA WTCR in 2022 and theGT World Challenge Europe in 2024.
In 2021,Formula One announced they were going toSaudi Arabia for the first time, with racing held inJeddah across theRed Sea.
Cricket is the second most popular sport in Saudi Arabia, largely due to the increasing number of South Asian expatriates who play the game during their spare time. However, during recent years cricket has generated interest among many Arab locals, such as Faique Habib and Nadim Al Nadwi, who have both represented Saudi Arabia at the national level. Currently there are over 8000 Saudi cricketers, with nearly 20 percent being local Arabs, and the majority of the rest coming from countries such asPakistan,India andSri Lanka.
There are many cricket associations Saudi Arabia, with Yanbu Al Sinaiyah Cricket Association being the largest. Each major city has its own organization which holds its own domestic cup for each format.
Since 2010 Saudi Arabia has gained quite a lot of fame for its style of cricket, as it has won several regional tournaments on turf, even though back home players only play on concrete. Saudi Arabia's biggest win to date was in September 2016, where they beat aNamibian national side by 141 runs. 2 months later they also won their first major series which came in the form of a quadrangular series also involvingKenya,Uganda andQatar.
Saudi Arabia's greatest cricketer is Shoaib Ali, who has contributed to major victories both home and away, and who has captained the nation since 2008. He is a bowling all rounder who made his debut againstThailand in the 2008 ACC Under-19 Challenge Cup.
Basketball is also a popular sport in Saudi Arabia. TheSaudi Premier League has been home to several players who competed at theFIBA Asia Championship and has also attractedNBA players such asMahmoud Abdul-Rauf.
Besides "regular" basketball,3x3 basketball has become increasingly popular.[7]
In September 2022, Saudi Arabia presented the National Gaming and Esports Strategy (NGES), which aims to make the country a global center for thevideo game industry by 2030 in accordance toSaudi Vision 2030, a strategic plan led byCrown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to diversify theSaudi economy, create job opportunities, and reduce reliance on oil.[8][9]
Pursuant to the NGES, in October 2023, Saudi Arabia announced the inauguralEsports World Cup as the successor of Gamers8, theSaudi Esports Federation's previously existing esports festival, which would be held annually inRiyadh starting in summer 2024.[10] The 2024 Esports World Cup encompassed 23 tournaments across its 22 competitive titles. Each tournament adhered to its own unique format and rules, while 22 of the tournaments contributed to a larger competition known as the Club Championship.[11]
The inauguralOlympic Esports Games are planned to be hosted in Riyadh in 2027.[12]
In August 2025, the Esports World Cup Foundation announced the biennialEsports Nations Cup, a multi-title national-team tournament, with the inaugural finals scheduled for November 2026 inRiyadh before adopting a rotating-host model.[13][14] The first edition is being co-developed withElectronic Arts,Krafton,Tencent andUbisoft.[15] Saudi Arabia is slated to host the debut event,[16] with organisers projecting participation from more than 100 nations across roughly 15 titles and around 1,500 players qualifying to the finals.[17][18]
Ice hockey is also a minor sport but it has not been popular in Saudi Arabia; the first game occurred in 2010 during theGulf Ice Hockey Championship.
Professional wrestling has been a recognizable minor sport in Saudi Arabia. The country has hosted one event by the U.S.-based promotion,WWE inJeddah dubbed theGreatest Royal Rumble on April 27, 2018. The company will host a second event inRiyadh in fall of 2018 as part of theSaudi Vision 2030 plan.[19]
WWE's programming (e.g.WWE Wal3ooha) airs throughout the country onOSN Sports Action 1 and has access to theWWE Network streaming service.
Rugby union in Saudi Arabia is a minor but growing sport, which has been played for several decades in the Kingdom. Many of the local rugby clubs date back to the late 1970s.
This is a list of Saudi Arabian national sports teams:
Al Riyada was the first sports newspaper in Saudi Arabia founded byMuhammad Abdullah Malibari.
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