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How many World Cup matches has Saudi Arabia won? Has KSA every advanced to knockout stage?

Saudi Arabia has opened the World Cup with a stunner over Argentina. We break down their World Cup history.

By David Fucillo
Saleh Al-Shehri of Saudi Arabia celebrates scoring his side’s equalising goal with team mates to make the score 1-1 during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia at Lusail Stadium on November 22, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images

The 2022 World Cup has its first major upset officially on the books. Saudi Arabia shocked Argentina 2-1 in their opener and is suddenly in prime position to advance out of Group C. There’s still a lot of work to do, but a win over the group favorites means the Saudis could advance with a win over Poland or Mexico, or potentially a pair of ties.

This is the sixth time Saudi Arabia has qualified for the World Cup. In the country’s first appearance back in 1994, they beat Morocco and then stunned Belgium 1-0 to advance to the knockout stage. They lost 3-1 to Sweden in the knockout stage. Saudi Arabia advanced to the World Cup in 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2018, but has only one win in the group stage across those four appearances.

The Saudis entered the 2002 World Cup as the Group C longshot with +2200 odds to win and +650 to advance to the knockout round. We’ll update with their group odds once they update at DraftKings Sportsbook.

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