Saudi Arabia Breaks the Haunted Stadium Curse with a 2-1 Arab Cup Triumph

The Curse Breaker: Saudi Arabia Ends the Haunted Stadium Drought

Saudi Arabia did more than win; they cracked the long-standing curse of Education City Stadium, edging Oman 2-1 to open their Arab Cup campaign on Tuesday, December 2, 2025.

The match, played at Education City Stadium in Qatar, provided a lively start to the group with a finish that kept fans on the edge of their seats until the final whistle.

Beyond the battle for early top spot, the victory finally ends a recurring drought at this venue, where the Green Falcons had played five matches in less than five years without a win.

In the 2021 Arab Cup edition hosted by Qatar, Saudi played two games at the same stadium against Jordan and Palestine, losing 1-0 in the first and drawing the second.

Then the venue reappeared in 2022 for the World Cup, where Saudi’s second group-stage game against Poland ended in a 0-2 defeat, with Salem Al-Dawsari missing a penalty saved by Wojciech Szczęsny.

The misfortune continued in 2024 during the AFC Asian Cup, under coach Roberto Mancini, as Saudi faced Thailand in the group stage and drew 0-0, before meeting Korea Republic in the Round of 16 on January 30, 2024, drawing 1-1 and losing on penalties 4-2.

The win on Tuesday marks a turning point for the team and a moment of relief for fans who had waited years to see a victory at this venue.

Punchline 1 (sniper joke): If curses had a phone number, Education City Stadium would have blocked it — tonight the Green Falcons dialed in the win instead of the haunting.

Punchline 2 (sniper joke): If this stadium were a comedian, it would tell knock-knock jokes—knock, knock… who’s there? Saudi’s victory banner, and the crowd says, ‘Woo!’