Saudi beach soccer team breaks into world top 20 for first time

Saudi Arabia's national beach soccer team has made history by breaking into the world's top 20 for the first time, securing a 17th-place ranking globally. This remarkable achievement, announced in the September rankings from Beach Soccer Worldwide, marks the team's highest-ever position in the world. The climb to the top 20 follows a steady upward trajectory since 2019, when the team returned to international play after a five-year absence and was ranked a lowly 114th globally.

Since rejoining the international stage, the Saudi team has made remarkable strides, climbing from 98th globally in 2020, to 95th in 2021, and then reaching a significant milestone in 2022 by climbing to 50th place. Their progress continued in 2023, as they moved from 29th to 25th, and then achieved their highest ever ranking of 23rd in the month of September.

This consistent improvement has seen the Saudi team climb 97 places since returning to competition in 2019, culminating in their current 17th-place standing globally and 5th in Asia.