Saudi U17 Start World Cup Run with Narrow Loss to Austria
5 November 2025
Match details and key moments
Saudi Arabia’s under-17s opened their FIFA U-17 World Cup campaign in Qatar with a 1-0 defeat to Austria at the Aspire Zone Stadium, in Group B play.
Austria were reduced to ten men from the 40th minute after a second yellow for their player, Luka Feinhandel, but Saudi failed to capitalise on the numerical advantage.
Ten minutes into the second half, Austria seized the lead when Joannis Musser converted a penalty following a VAR review.
Saudi endured further setback when Nassar Al-Fihani was sent off directly in the 57th minute after another VAR check, complicating their comeback bid.
Despite late pressure, a second Austrian penalty in stoppage time was saved brilliantly by the Saudi goalkeeper, denying a any potential late equaliser.
The loss leaves Saudi at the bottom of Group B with zero points, while Austria heads the group with three. The Saudis now face New Zealand on Saturday and then Mali on Tuesday as they bid to stay alive in the tournament.
As per the competition rules, the group winners and runners-up advance to the knockout stage, along with the best eight third-placed teams, heightening the significance of every remaining group match.
Saudi squad and tournament context
Head coach Abdulwahab Al-Harbi named a 21-man squad for the World Cup 2025 in Qatar. The list includes Wafi Al-Akli, Abdulrahman Al-Tuaibi, Mohammed Al-Tuba, Abu Bakr Said, Osama Al-Daghma, Adel Aiyash, Nasser Al-Fihani, Mokhtar Bernawi, Thari Ahmed, Saeed Al-Dosari, Ibrahim Azam, Mohammed Khalaf, Abdulaziz Al-Fawaz, Mohammed Madkhali, Maher Tawaashi, Habib Al-Antief, Abdulrahman Safiani, Abdulrahman Al-Dosari, Sabri Dahl, Walid Al-Nour, and Abdulhadi Matri.
The team had previously campaigned in the United Arab Emirates from Oct 20–31 as part of the build-up to the World Cup in Doha.
In the broader group, other Arab teams were in action: Qatar fell 0-1 to Italy; Egypt beat Haiti 4-1; UAE drew 1-1 with Costa Rica, while Senegal and Croatia played to a 0-0 stalemate. Italy finished second in their group behind South Africa after a 3-1 win over Bolivia, with Samuel Inácio scoring for Italy in the 19th minute and South Africa’s goals shared by Itzo Wietboyi, Neo Bohloko, and Shon Eels.
Saudi's next fixtures will determine whether they can climb off the bottom and salvage a place in the knockout rounds, a tournament that historically rewards early momentum and resilient defending in youth football.
