The key facts
- The Russian Foreign Ministry announced plans for a friendly match Russia — Saudi Arabia to mark the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations
- The date and venue of the game have not yet been determined
- Diplomatic relations were established on 19 February 1926, broken off in 1938, and restored in September 1990
Plans for the anniversary match
The national teams of Russia and Saudi Arabia plan to hold a friendly match timed to the centenary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This was announced at the international conference 'Russia — Saudi Arabia: The First Century of Friendship' by acting director of the Middle East and North Africa Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maxim Maximov. 'We plan to hold a friendly football match between our national teams, timed to the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations,' Life.ru quoted him as saying. The exact date and venue of the game have not yet been announced.
History of diplomatic relations
Diplomatic relations between the two states were established on 19 February 1926 and were broken off in 1938. Full diplomatic interaction was restored in September 1990. Thus, in 2026 the relations turned 100 years old.
Past meetings of the national team
The previous meeting between the national teams took place in June 2018: Russia thrashed Saudi Arabia 5:0 in the opening match of the home World Cup. Denis Cheryshev scored a brace, with one goal each from Yuri Gazinsky, Artyom Dzyuba and Alexander Golovin.
Current matches of the national team
On 3 October, Russia's national team under Valery Karpin beat Namibia 6:0 in Yekaterinburg — it was the team's first match in that city, and one of the main heroes was Maxim Glushenkov, who scored a brace. On 6 October in Nizhny Novgorod, a friendly match against Nigeria ended in a 3:3 draw: the Russians led 3:1, but the opponent came back. That game was the final one for the team during the autumn training camp. According to Life.ru, it was also reported that Russia's national team will play Venezuela on 17 November in Krasnodar.
