Arab Cup Bronze Showdown: Can Saudi Arabia Outshine UAE in the Third-Place Clash?
15 December 2025
Arab Cup Bronze Showdown
The Saudi national team is gearing up to play for third place in the Arab Cup, for the third time in its history, after a 0-1 semifinal defeat to Jordan.
The Green will meet their UAE counterparts, who were beaten by Morocco 3-0 in the semifinals, on Thursday, at Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan.
Saudi Arabia played a third-place match for the first time in 1985, when the Arab Cup was hosted; they lost to Iraq 2-3 in the semifinals.
The third-place match was held in Taif on July 12, 1985 between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, ending goalless after extra time, before the Green won on penalties.
Strangely, the second time Saudi played for third place in the Arab Cup was in 2012, when the tournament was hosted for the second time.
At that time, the Green lost 0-2 to Libya in the semifinals, then fell to Iraq in the third-place match by a goal on July 5, 2012, at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah. Fans stay hopeful, though. Punchlines: If defending were a sport, Saudi would win gold in interpretive defense. Counterattacks would require a longer running time.
