August 25 – Not just Qatar, but Saudi Arabia will seek to welcome the world this November and December. In a bid to capitalise on the influx of football fans in the Gulf during the World Cup, Saudi Arabia will issue a special 60-day visa for holders of a Hayya card, a fan-id required to enter Qatar.
August 22 – Seen alongside Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, FIFA president Gianni Infantino attended the heavyweight boxing fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua in Jeddah, at the weekend, further reinforcing ties between the FIFA President and Saudi Arabia.
June 29 – Already buffeted by criticism from human rights groups after being taken over by a Saudi-led consortium, Newcastle United, one of English football’s most fanatically supported clubs, face further disapproval after unveiling their third kit for the upcoming season – green and white, the colours on the Saudi Arabian flag.
June 15 – Hosts of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan will meet Saudi Arabia in the final on Sunday after both countries won their semi-finals 2-0, defeating Japan and Australia respectively.
June 1 – In a region that historically changes their head football coaches of national teams almost as often as they change their shirts, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) have given French coach Hervé Renard a five-year extension to his contract, taking him through to 2027.
May 19 – The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) is reinforcing its player development pathway as it targets a ranking among the world’s elite football nations by the time World Cup 2034.
April 21 – The storm around leaked phone tapes of Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales is still raging. Rubiales has hit back at what he calls “mischievous and dishonest” accusations from Spanish media of alleged wrongdoing over the deal to relocate the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia.
March 3 – Saudi Arabia will host all five of the centralised groups for the west zone of the AFC Champions League 2022. The decision to go to Saudi follows the successful hosting last November of the 2021 AFC Champions League final in Riyadh.
February 21 – In a historic first, Saudi Arabia’s women’s national team defeated Seychelles 2-0 to mark their debut in international football. The Saudi team however is still awaiting for official FIFA recognition.
January 28 – Saudi Arabia kept their four point lead over Japan at the top of Group B in the Asian World Cup 2022 qualifiers with a 1-0 win over Oman.
December 23 – The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Brunei Football Federation (FABD) to strengthen the ties between the two associations.
November 24 – Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal have been crowned Asian champions after the fastest goal ever scored in the final of the continent’s Champions League set the club on the road to a 2-0 victory against South Korea’s Pohang Steelers and a record-breaking fourth title.
November 17 – Gary Hoffman is to resign as chairman of the English Premier League following a backlash from clubs relating to Newcastle United’s takeover by a Saudi Arabian-led consortium.
November 5 – The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) and the Comoros Football Federation (FFC) have entered a partnership that will see the Saudis support the development of the women’s game on the archipelago of islands off Africa’s east coast.
October 29 – English Premier League officials have agreed to meet with Amnesty International to discuss potential changes to the so-called owners and directors test following the recent controversial Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle United.