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Yemen national football team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Yemen women's national football team.
For the team representing the former South Yemen, see South Yemen national football team.

Yemen
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Al-Yaman as-Sa'eed
(اليمن السعيد, The Happy Yemen)
AssociationYemen Football Association
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationWAFF (West Asia)
Head coachNoureddine Ould Ali
CaptainAbdulwasea Al-Matari
Most capsAlaa Al-Sasi (84)[1]
Top scorerAli Al-Nono (30)
Home stadiumAlthawra Sports City Stadium
FIFA codeYEM
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 158 Steady (19 December 2024)[2]
Highest90 (August – September 1993, November 1993)
Lowest186 (February 2014)
First international
 Syria 4–1 North Yemen 
(Baghdad, Iraq; 2 April 1966)
as Yemen
 Malaysia 0–1 Yemen 
(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 8 September 1990)
Biggest win
 North Yemen 2–1 United Arab Emirates 
(Casablanca, Morocco; 11 August 1985)
 North Yemen 1–0 India 
(Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 11 February 1988)
as Yemen
 Yemen 11–2 Bhutan 
(Kuwait City, Kuwait; 18 February 2000)
Biggest defeat
 North Korea 14–0 Yemen 
(Phnom Penh, Cambodia; 30 November 1966)
as Yemen
 Saudi Arabia 7–0 Yemen 
(Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 6 October 2003)
Asian Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2019)
Best resultGroup stage (2019)
WAFF Championship
Appearances3 (first in 2010)
Best resultSemi-finals (2010)

The Yemen national football team (Arabic: منتخب الْيَمَن الْوَطَنِيُّ لِكُرَّةُ الْقَدَم) represents Yemen in men's international football and is administered by the Yemen Football Association.

When Yemen was split into North and South, two national teams existed. The current Yemeni national team inherits the records of North Yemen.

Despite being the 5th most populated country in the Middle East, Yemen has never achieved the same success as those with much smaller populations, only qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup once after unification in 1990.

History

[edit]

1965–1966

[edit]

A team representing the Sultanate of Lahej debuted at the 1965 Arab Games in Cairo, Egypt, losing both of their matches: 9–0 to Sudan and 16–1 to Libya. Meanwhile, despite a 4–0 drubbing by Syria, North Yemen beat Oman 2–1.

In April 1966, North Yemen debuted at the 1966 Arab Cup in Baghdad, Iraq, placed in Group 2. They lost their first match 4–1 to Syria and were then crushed 7–0 by Palestine three days later. On 5 April, they suffered an even heavier loss, 13–0 to Libya, thus finishing bottom of the group.

Also in 1966, North Yemen entered the Games of the New Emerging Forces in Cambodia and lost their opener 5–3 to Palestine.

1984–1989

[edit]

Following the tournament in Cambodia, North Yemen did not play a match for eighteen years, returning in 1984 in an attempt to qualify to the 1984 Asian Cup. This was their first entrance of the competition. They were placed at the qualifiers in Group 3 with all matches held in Calcutta, India in October 1984. North Yemen lost the first match on 10 October, 6–0 to South Korea, for whom Park Sung-Hwa scored four goals and Chung Hae-Won two. Two days later, they lost 2–0 to hosts India. On 15 October North Yemen lost 4–1 to Pakistan and three days later by the same score to Malaysia. North Yemen finished at the bottom of the group.

North Yemen entered its first World Cup qualification campaign with the aim of securing a place in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. They were placed in Group 3 of the West Asia zone in the first round of the qualification campaign. North Yemen played their first match at home to Syria in Sana'a on 29 March 1985 and lost 1–0 to a 70th-minute goal. On 5 April, they lost 5–0 to Kuwait in Kuwait City. On 19 April, North Yemen lost 3–0 away to Syria at the Abbasiyyin Stadium in Damascus. On 26 April, while hosting Kuwait, North Yemen scored their only goal in the group as they lost 3–1 in front of 10,000 people.

In August 1985, North Yemen competed at the 1985 Arab Games in Rabat, Morocco and was placed in a group with Saudi Arabia, Algeria and the United Arab Emirates. They lost 2–0 to the Saudis on 5 August, 3–1 to Algeria on 7 August, and on 9 August beat the UAE 2–1 for their first ever victory.

On 15 October 1985, North Yemen played opposition from outside Asia and Africa for the first time, losing a friendly 2–0 to Mexico at home.

Reunification of the North and South (1990s)

[edit]

In the 1990, the North and South of Yemen re-united which prompted what is now the national team of Yemen to be merged from North Yemen.[4]

Upon being a new country, their captains alternated between matches to promote a "unified" Yemen.[5]

Starting in 1993, their first big task would be the qualification to the 1994 FIFA World Cup, because they did not enter the AFC Asian Cup in 1992, nor the Arab Cup. Yemen lost three games, against China once, and Iraq twice. They drew with Jordan twice, and won against China and Pakistan. This placed them third, five points from Iraq who were first, and ultimately ended their first ever World Cup qualification campaign.

The qualification campaign for the 1996 Asian Cup saw them get thrashed by Saudi Arabia as they lost 4–0 in the first leg, but put a fight in the second leg as they lost 1–0. Despite finishing last, on points with Kyrgyzstan, Yemen's only redeeming event was a narrow 1–0 win against Kyrgyzstan, despite getting beat 3–1 in the return leg.

More years went by as Yemen continued to struggle, not only in Asia, but in the Middle East. The qualification campaign for the 1998 World Cup raised some spirits as they came in second above Indonesia and Cambodia. For the Yemenis, this was an ample progress as Uzbekistan, with 16 points, had stomped the first stage with having twice as many points as second-place Yemen at 8 points. While adding on to the fact that Yemen lost 1–0 to Uzbekistan, and despite losing 5–1 in the return leg, this gave the Yemenis a hopeful future for the upcoming tournaments.

2000s

[edit]

Yemen started the millennium by attempting to qualify for the 2000 AFC Asian Cup. The Al-Yemen A'Sa'eed started off the year with a 3–0 win against Nepal following with a 0–1 loss to Turkmenistan. After this, it came to light that Kuwait had thrashed Bhutan 20–0 in the qualifiers which prompted doubt in the national team. Yemen lost 2–0 to Kuwait (with an own-goal added) and ended the qualification campaign with their highest win as they stomped Bhutan 11–2. These matches put Yemen at 6 points finishing above Nepal and Bhutan at third place of fifth.

2002 FIFA World Cup (AFC) qualifying (Group 8)
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
United Arab Emirates UAE 6 4 0 2 21 5 +16 12
Yemen Yemen 6 3 2 1 14 8 +6 11
India India 6 3 2 1 11 5 +6 11
Brunei Brunei 6 0 0 6 0 28 −28 0

The following year, in 2001, would be a high-point for the Yemeni fans as they watched their national team barely lose out on the advancement of the second round of the qualification campaign of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. They lost to United Arab Emirates who finished at top with 12 points while Yemen, along with India, sat at 11 points with Yemen scoring three more goals than India, despite the same goal-difference of six. They lost in both legs to United Arab Emirates.

However, for the Yemenis, disappointment would strike as they bombed their next big competition, the 2002 Arab Cup. This would be their first appearance since 1966 when they played as North Yemen, in which they also failed losing all three games and having a goal difference of −23. In 2012, they drew 2–2 with Saudi Arabia but lost to Lebanon 4–2, Bahrain 3–1 and Syria 0–4.

The qualification for the 2004 AFC Asian Cup would arrive as the next test for Yemen. The Yemenis were left stranded on the cusp of qualification as they were beat to the last spot by Indonesia by 3 points.

Days later, they would face yet another big tournament in quick succession which was the 16th Arabian Gulf Cup hosted by Kuwait. They came in dead last out of seven. They finished with 1 point, drawing with Oman and a goal difference of −16. But within a few months, the 17th Arabian Gulf Cup arrived, after their poor showing in the previous tournament. However, the Yemenis once again, to everyone's expectations, failed to register a win with the only point coming from a 1–1 draw to Bahrain while losing 0–3 to Saudi Arabia and 3–1 to Kuwait.

Yemen would next look towards the qualification campaign of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. But the Yemenis would soon end it on a short note, as they finished bottom of the group with 5 points under Thailand, United Arab Emirates and North Korea (who won the group with 11 points) and one win, two draws and three losses.

A short time later would find the Yemenis preparing for the 18th Arabian Gulf Cup. Despite, as expected, finishing the group last, they finished with two losses against United Arab Emirates and Oman and the lone draw to Kuwait.

Months later would see Yemen enter the qualification campaign of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup and were knocked out, once again. While Japan and Saudi Arabia qualified comfortably, Yemen achieved their only two wins against India.

2010s

[edit]

The next task for the Yemenis was the qualification campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup which was cut shorter than usual. In the first round, Yemen scored three goals without reply against Maldives, in the first leg. In the return leg, Maldives replied with two goals but in the end, it was not enough, and Yemen passed to the next stage. The second stage saw Yemen draw 1–1 with Thailand with the second leg finishing 1–0 in favor to Thailand thus knocking them out 3–2 on aggregate. This was the first time Yemen did not reach the group stages of a World Cup qualification stage.

Yemen started off the new year by hosting the 20th Arabian Gulf Cup for the first time. As hosts, they played in the May 22 Stadium in Aden against Saudi Arabia and lost 0–4. Yemen would go on and lose 2–1 and 0–3 to Qatar and Kuwait respectively thus crashing out of the group stages only scoring one goal while conceding nine.

The qualification campaign for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup was acceptable for Yemeni' standards. Grouped with Japan and Bahrain, and Hong Kong, they achieved two wins, one draw and three losses. They opened with a defeat of 2–1 to Japan and finished with holding Japan to the last minute for a 3–2 defeat.

Ten years later of their last participation, they entered the 2012 Arab Cup where they were grouped with Morocco, Bahrain and Libya. To the bewilderment of many football experts, Bahrain finished last with Yemen finishing third with three points.

However, in 2013, Yemen would participate in the 21st Arabian Gulf Cup, and they would record their worst run in the tournament where they were grouped with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. They didn't record any goal and conceded six goals losing all three games.

As recent record showed, the Yemenis finished with their worst World Cup qualification campaign for the 2014 World Cup. They faced Iraq which they lost 2–0. The return leg was played in the United Arab Emirates due to the civil unrest in Yemen. This match saw Yemen and Iraq play out to a draw which ended Iraq going through 2–0 on aggregate and thus knocking Yemen out in the knock-out stages.

In December 2013, they sunk to their lowest rank ever on the FIFA rankings at 179th. From the start of January 2013 to December 2013, they lost half of what they had previously, going down nearly 50 points.[6] This calling came for the Yemen Football Association to make a serious signing, when they signed Vladimir Petrović as the coach who had experience in Europe as a player and of Red Star Belgrade fame.[7] Vladmir Petrović quit as Yemen's manager in May 2014.

Because of this, Yemen dropped to their lowest and worst in Yemen's football: 186th. In preparation for the 22nd Arabian Gulf Cup, they hired Czech youth teams' manager Miroslav Soukup to attempt to revive the national team. Once again, Yemen was eliminated without winning a match, but for the first time in their Gulf Cup history, they didn't finish last.

Yemeni players before a 2019 AFC Asian Cup match against Iran

Debut at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup

[edit]

The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification happened with the outbreak of the civil war, leaving majority of the national team's players and staff to escape to Djibouti by boat, which made headline by the media.[8] Yemen only managed to defeat two opponents, Pakistan and the Philippines, while they lost to other opponents, thus Yemen ended their qualification with bottom record. During the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification, which was the first attempt of Yemen to qualify to the tournament as an unified nation, Yemen has defeated Tajikistan 2–1 on 23 March 2017, while maintaining four consecutive draws against Nepal and Philippines. Yemen had a big chance to qualify to its first international tournament in its history as a unified country. Finally, with the help from the Philippines when they defeated Tajikistan 2–1 in Manila, Yemen had finally qualified to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup for the first time in its history beating Nepal 2–1 in the last fixtures.

Group F
[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Philippines 6 3 3 0 13 8 +5 12 2019 AFC Asian Cup — 2–2 2–1 4–1
2  Yemen 6 2 4 0 7 5 +2 10 1–1 — 2–1 2–1
3  Tajikistan 6 2 1 3 10 9 +1 7 3–4 0–0 — 3–0
4    Nepal 6 0 2 4 3 11 −8 2 0–0 0–0 1–2 —
Source: AFC

In the team's maiden AFC Asian Cup, Yemen was grouped in Group D with Iraq, Iran and Vietnam. Their opening campaign was against Iran, which participated in the previous 2018 FIFA World Cup and had almost eliminated Spain in the progress. Yemen played well in the first ten minutes and almost scored a goal, but aftermath saw Iran completely dominate Yemen and the latter suffered a heavy 0–5 defeat to Iran.[9] Yemen later fell to Iraq 0–3 after being unable to repel Iraqi pressure,[10] and later lost to Southeast Asian opponent Vietnam 0–2 which saw Yemen finished last with no goal and no point.[11] All three opponents of Yemen would soon progress from the group stage.

Yemen later participated in the 2019 WAFF Championship where they were grouped with host Iraq, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. The Yemeni side was eliminated from the group stage this time, but they managed to finish in third place, even above Lebanon and Syria, thanked for a 2–1 over the former and a 1–1 draw to the latter. Despite this, Yemen once again failed in the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup, scoring no goal and conceded nine, but the Yemenis successfully gained a goalless draw to Iraq to win its first major point since 2014 edition.

2020s

[edit]

Between these competitions, Yemen participated in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round where they were grouped with Uzbekistan, minnows Singapore and fellow Arab rivals Saudi Arabia and Palestine. During their first games, Yemen got two points after two 2–2 draws over minnows Singapore away and more importantly, the encouraging draw to powerhouse Saudi Arabia in Bahrain, with the Yemenis taking the lead twice, to end their losing streak to Saudi Arabia since 2002. Yet, Yemen slumped later after receiving a 0–5 demolition from Uzbekistan, before beating Palestine 1–0 to gain its first major win in this qualification round. However, disappointment would soon return when Yemen suffered a heartbreaking loss to Singapore 1–2 and put its qualification at risk. Ultimately, Yemen failed to gain any further momentum, losing to both Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Palestine in the end.

Yemen played in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification first round against Sri Lanka in where they would play their home ground in Saudi Arabia due to the ongoing civil war in Yemen. On 12 October 2023, Yemen secured a 3–0 win over Sri Lanka at the Damac Club Stadium in Khamis Mushait.[12]

Yemen was drawn in the final round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification on Group B with Lebanon, Bhutan and Brunei.[13] On 28 December 2024, Yemen secured their first ever win in the Arabian Gulf Cup, by achieving a 2–1 victory over Bahrain during the 26th edition.[14]

Results and fixtures

[edit]
Main articles: North Yemen national football team results and Yemen national football team results

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2024

[edit]
21 March 2026 World Cup qualification United Arab Emirates  2–1  Yemen Abu Dhabi, UAE
22:00 UTC+4
Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) Idrees 69' (o.g.) Stadium: Al Nahyan Stadium
Attendance: 2,948
Referee: Mohanad Qasim Sarray (Iraq)
26 March 2026 World Cup qualification Yemen  0–3  United Arab Emirates Khobar, Saudi Arabia
22:00 UTC+3 Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)
Stadium: Prince Saud bin Jalawi Sports City
Attendance: 1,135
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)
6 June 2026 World Cup qualification Bahrain  0–0  Yemen Riffa, Bahrain
20:30 UTC+3 Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)		 Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium
Attendance: 2,632
Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia)
11 June 2026 World Cup qualification Yemen  2–2    Nepal Dammam, Saudi Arabia
21:00 UTC+3
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Stadium: Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium
Attendance: 953
Referee: Ahmad Ibrahim (Jordan)
16 November Friendly Yemen  0–1  Sri Lanka Doha, Qatar
19:15 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Al-Khor SC Stadium
19 November Friendly Yemen  2–0  Sri Lanka Doha, Qatar
19:00 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Al-Khor SC Stadium
9 December Friendly Kuwait  1–1  Yemen Doha, Qatar
18:00 UTC+3
Stadium: Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium
16 December Friendly Oman  1–0  Yemen Muscat, Oman
19:00 UTC+4
Stadium: Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex
22 December 26th Arabian Gulf Cup Iraq  1–0  Yemen Kuwait City, Kuwait
17:30 UTC+3
Stadium: Sulaibikhat Stadium
25 December 26th Arabian Gulf Cup Yemen  2–3  Saudi Arabia Kuwait City, Kuwait
20:30 UTC+3
Stadium: Sulaibikhat Stadium
28 December 26th Arabian Gulf Cup Yemen  2-1  Bahrain Kuwait City, Kuwait
17:30 UTC+3 Stadium: Sulaibikhat Stadium

2025

[edit]
25 March 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification Bhutan  v  Yemen Thimphu, Bhutan
--:--  Stadium: Changlimithang Stadium
10 June 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification Yemen  v  Lebanon
20:00 UTC+8
9 October 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification Brunei  v  Yemen Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
--:-- UTC+6 Stadium: Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium
14 October 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification Yemen  v  Brunei
20:00 UTC+8
18 November 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification Yemen  v  Bhutan
--:-- 

2026

[edit]
31 March 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification Lebanon  v  Yemen
Notes
  • Yemen play their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Yemeni civil war.

Coaching history

[edit]
Caretaker managers are listed in italics
Notes
  • Dr. Azzam Khalifa served as the first coach of the unified Yemen football team.[42]
  • Torsten Spittler, the youth national team coach, was selected by the YFA to take charge of the team at the 2002 Arab Cup with a squad composed of youth team and senior players.[31] However, after one friendly match, the FA overturned this decision and appointed Hazem Jassam instead.[32]
  • Abdullah Saqr Baamer served as caretaker coach during the 2002 Arab Cup due to coach Hazem Jassam being unable to obtain a visa as he was blacklisted by the host nation of Kuwait.[33][34]

Players

[edit]

Current squad

[edit]

The following 26 players were called up for the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup.[43]

Caps and goals are correct as of 28 December 2024, after the match against  Oman.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Mohamed Aman (1997-04-14) 14 April 1997 (age 27) 14 0 Yemen Ahli Sanaa
22 1GK Abdullah Al-Saadi (2002-04-23) 23 April 2002 (age 22) 5 0 Saudi Arabia Sharurah
23 1GK Osama Abdullah Haidar (2002-02-27) 27 February 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Yemen May 22 San'a
3 2DF Harwan Al-Zubaidi (1999-10-15) 15 October 1999 (age 25) 14 2 Spain Quart de Poblet
4 2DF Hamza Al-Rimi (2002-02-12) 12 February 2002 (age 22) 17 0 Iraq Al-Talaba
5 2DF Amr Talal (1997-01-01) 1 January 1997 (age 27) 1 0 Yemen Al-Wehda Aden
6 2DF Rami Al-Wasmani (1997-02-01) 1 February 1997 (age 27) 7 0 Yemen Ahli Sanaa
12 2DF Mamdooh Bin Agag (2003-05-29) 29 May 2003 (age 21) 5 0 Yemen Al-Shaab Hadramaut
13 2DF Ahmed Nasser 1 0 Yemen Al-Shula
19 2DF Radhawan Al-Hubaishi (1993-07-03) 3 July 1993 (age 31) 9 0 Yemen Ahli Sanaa
24 2DF Ali Al-Dugin (2003-05-02) 2 May 2003 (age 21) 2 0 Yemen Al-Wehda Aden
26 2DF Hamzah Al-Surabi (2003-05-07) 7 May 2003 (age 21) 2 0 Yemen Al-Yarmuk Al-Rawda
2 3MF Ahmed Al-Khamisi (2003-09-10) 10 September 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Netherlands EFC '58
7 3MF Nasser Al-Gahwashi (1999-05-24) 24 May 1999 (age 25) 30 3 Iraq Zakho
8 3MF Anes Al-Maari (2000-01-09) 9 January 2000 (age 24) 16 0 Iraq Al-Gharraf
10 3MF Mohammed Al-Najjar (1997-04-08) 8 April 1997 (age 27) 7 0 Yemen Al-Wehda Sanaa
14 3MF Mohammed Al-Tiri (2000-02-04) 4 February 2000 (age 24) 11 0 Yemen Al-Wehda Sanaa
15 3MF Osama Anbar (1995-01-20) 20 January 1995 (age 29) 15 0 Iraq Al-Kahrabaa
16 3MF Omar Al-Golan 5 0 Yemen Al-Tilal
17 3MF Abdul Majeed Sabarah (2000-08-22) 22 August 2000 (age 24) 13 2 Yemen Al-Wehda Sanaa
25 3MF Tareq Shihab (2001-03-07) 7 March 2001 (age 23) 1 0 Iceland HK
9 4FW Omar Al-Dahi (1999-12-15) 15 December 1999 (age 25) 30 4 Iraq Al-Karma
11 4FW Abdulwasea Al-Matari (captain) (1994-07-04) 4 July 1994 (age 30) 68 11 Bahrain Sitra
18 4FW Abdulaziz Masnom (2006-02-06) 6 February 2006 (age 18) 2 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Orobah
20 4FW Hamzah Mahross (2004-05-05) 5 May 2004 (age 20) 11 1 Yemen Ahli Sanaa
21 4FW Kassem Al-Sharafi (2004-10-15) 15 October 2004 (age 20) 3 0 Yemen Al-Wehda Sanaa

Recent call-ups

[edit]

The following footballers were part of national selection in the past twelve months, but are not part of the current call-up.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Waddah Anwar (2008-01-24) 24 January 2008 (age 16) 0 0 Yemen Al-Tilal 26th Arabian Gulf Cup PRE
GK Bassam Farid Salleh (2004-10-02) 2 October 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Yemen Al-Wehda Aden v. Sri Lanka, 19 November 2024
GK Ali Fadl Abs (2000-01-01) 1 January 2000 (age 24) 1 0 Yemen Al-Tadamun v.   Nepal, 12 June 2024
DF Hesham Ahmed Balabl (2003-02-02) 2 February 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Yemen Al-Tilal 26th Arabian Gulf Cup PRE
DF Nasser Afasha 0 0 Yemen 26th Arabian Gulf Cup PRE
DF Emad Al-Judaima (2003-03-11) 11 March 2003 (age 21) 4 0 Yemen Al-Wehda Sanaa v.   Nepal, 12 June 2024
DF Jacob Gouriyé (1991-01-04) 4 January 1991 (age 33) 0 0 Yemen Al-Wehda Sanaa v.   Nepal, 12 June 2024
DF Al-Khedr Al-Douh (2004-11-01) 1 November 2004 (age 20) 6 0 Yemen Fahman v.   Nepal, 12 June 2024
DF Mufeed Gamal (1999-01-01) 1 January 1999 (age 25) 16 0 Yemen Al Yarmuk Al Rawda v.   Nepal, 12 June 2024
MF Nawaf Abdullah (1994-12-31) 31 December 1994 (age 29) 0 0 Bahrain Malkiya 26th Arabian Gulf Cup PRE
MF Zidane Makram 0 0 Yemen Al-Shaab Hadramaut 26th Arabian Gulf Cup PRE
MF Ali Nasser Ali Hasan (1996-11-23) 23 November 1996 (age 28) 2 1 Bahrain East Riffa v. Sri Lanka, 19 November 2024
MF Salah Saeed 1 0 Yemen Al-Wehda Sanaa v. Sri Lanka, 19 November 2024
FW Mohammed Al-Dahi (1996-04-03) 3 April 1996 (age 28) 12 2 Iraq Al-Karma 26th Arabian Gulf Cup PRE
FW Mohammed Al-Brwany 2 0 Yemen Al-Wehda Aden 26th Arabian Gulf Cup PRE
FW Ahmed Maher (2002-01-24) 24 January 2002 (age 22) 18 1 Oman Al-Wahda Sur v. Sri Lanka, 19 November 2024
FW Gehad Abdulrab (1996-05-27) 27 May 1996 (age 28) 4 0 Iraq Al-Mosul v. Sri Lanka, 19 November 2024
FW Ahmed Al-Sarori (1998-08-09) 9 August 1998 (age 26) 51 2 Iraq Al-Naft v.   Nepal, 12 June 2024 PRE
Notes
  • INJ Withdrew due to injury
  • PRE Preliminary squad
  • SUS Serving suspension
  • WD Withdrew due to non-injury issue

Former squads

[edit]

Records

[edit]
As of 25 December 2024[44]
Players in bold are still active with Yemen.

Most appearances

[edit]
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Alaa Al-Sasi 84 11 2006–2019
2 Salem Saeed 79 0 2003–2019
3 Akram Al-Worafi 72 6 2004–2017
4 Abdulwasea Al-Matari 67 11 2013–present
5 Ali Al-Nono 65 30 2000–2010
Mudir Al-Radaei 65 1 2012–2023
7 Mohammed Fuad Omar 55 1 2012–2019
8 Mohammed Boqshan 54 1 2012–2021
9 Ahmed Al-Sarori 51 2 2015–present
10 Mohammad Ayash 44 0 2010–2021

Top goalscorers

[edit]
Rank Name Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Ali Al-Nono 30 65 0.46 2000–2010
2 Adel Al-Salimi 15 25 0.6 2000–2004
3 Abdulwasea Al-Matari 11 67 0.16 2013–present
Alaa Al-Sasi 11 84 0.13 2006–2019
5 Nashwan Al-Haggam 7 19 0.37 2002–2007
Yaser Ba Suhai 7 38 0.18 2003–2015
7 Ali Awad Al-Omqi 6 40 0.15 2001–2009
Akram Al-Worafi 6 72 0.08 2004–2017
9 Omar Al-Ariki 5 7 0.71 1996–1997
Abdulsalam Al Ghurbani 5 9 0.56 2000–2009

Competitive record

[edit]

FIFA World Cup

[edit]
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
as  Kingdom of Yemen
Uruguay 1930 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958
Chile 1962
as  North Yemen
England 1966 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982 Did not enter Did not enter
Mexico 1986 Did not qualify 4 0 0 4 1 12
Italy 1990 4 0 0 4 0 5
as  Yemen
United States 1994 Did not qualify 8 3 2 3 12 13
France 1998 6 2 2 2 10 7
South Korea Japan 2002 6 3 2 1 8 6
Germany 2006 6 1 2 3 6 11
South Africa 2010 4 1 1 2 4 4
Brazil 2014 2 0 1 1 0 2
Russia 2018 10 2 1 7 5 18
Qatar 2022 8 1 2 5 6 18
Canada Mexico United States 2026 8 2 3 3 9 10
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total – 0/12 – – – – – – 66 15 16 35 61 106

AFC Asian Cup

[edit]
Main article: Yemen at the AFC Asian Cup
AFC Asian Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
as  Kingdom of Yemen
Hong Kong 1956 Not an AFC member Not an AFC member
South Korea 1960
as  North Yemen
Israel 1964 Not an AFC member Not an AFC member
Iran 1968
Thailand 1972
Iran 1976
Kuwait 1980
Singapore 1984 Did not qualify 4 0 0 4 2 18
Qatar 1988 5 1 3 1 5 5
as  Yemen
Japan 1992 Did not enter Did not enter
United Arab Emirates 1996 Did not qualify 4 1 0 3 2 8
Lebanon 2000 4 2 0 2 14 5
China 2004 6 2 1 3 15 15
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007 6 2 0 4 5 13
Qatar 2011 6 2 1 3 7 9
Australia 2015 6 0 0 6 3 18
United Arab Emirates 2019 Group stage 23rd 3 0 0 3 0 10 Squad 18 6 5 7 16 23
Qatar 2023 Did not qualify 11 1 3 7 6 25
Saudi Arabia 2027 To be determined To be determined
Total Group stage 1/18 3 0 0 3 0 10 — 65 16 11 38 69 128

Asian Games

[edit]
Asian Games record
Year Position Pld W D L GF GA
1951 to 1978 Did not participate
India 1982 Withdrew
South Korea 1986 Did not participate
China 1990 Group stage 3 0 2 1 0 2
Japan 1994 Group stage 4 0 0 4 0 14
Thailand 1998 Did not participate
2002 to present See Yemen national under-23 football team
Total 2/13 7 0 2 5 0 16

Gulf Cup

[edit]
Gulf Cup record
Year Position Pld W D L GF GA
Kuwait 2003–04 Seventh place 6 0 1 5 2 18
Qatar 2004 Group stage 3 0 1 2 2 7
United Arab Emirates 2007 3 0 1 2 3 5
Oman 2009 3 0 0 3 2 11
Yemen 2010 3 0 0 3 1 9
Bahrain 2013 3 0 0 3 0 6
Saudi Arabia 2014 3 0 2 1 0 1
Kuwait 2017–18 3 0 0 3 0 8
Qatar 2019 3 0 1 2 0 9
Iraq 2023 3 0 0 3 2 10
Kuwait 2024–25 3 1 0 2 4 5
Saudi Arabia 2026 TBD
Total 10/25 36 1 6 29 16 89

Arab Cup

[edit]
FIFA Arab Cup record
Year Position Pld W D L GF GA
Lebanon 1963 Did not enter
Kuwait 1964
Iraq 1966 Group stage 3 0 0 3 1 24
Saudi Arabia 1985 Did not enter
Jordan 1988
Syria 1992
Qatar 1998 Withdrew
Kuwait 2002 Group stage 4 0 1 3 5 13
Saudi Arabia 2012 Group stage 3 1 0 2 3 7
Qatar 2021 Did not qualify
Total 3/10 10 1 1 8 9 44

Arab Games

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Arab Games record
Year Position Pld W D L GF GA
Egypt 1953 Did not enter
Lebanon 1957
Morocco 1961
United Arab Republic 1965
Syria 1976
Morocco 1985 Group stage 3 1 0 2 3 6
Lebanon 1997 Did not enter
Jordan 1999
Egypt 2007
Qatar 2011
Total 1/10 3 1 0 2 3 6

WAFF Championship

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WAFF Championship record
Year Position Pld W D L GF GA
Jordan 2000 Did not enter
Syria 2002
Iran 2004
Jordan 2007
Iran 2008
Jordan 2010 Semi-finals 3 1 1 1 5 4
Kuwait 2012 Group stage 3 0 0 3 1 4
Qatar 2014 Withdrew
Iraq 2019 Group stage 4 1 1 2 4 5
Total 3/9 10 2 2 6 10 13

Palestine Cup of Nations

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Main article: Palestine Cup of Nations

Head-to-head record

[edit]
Main article: Yemen national football team records and statistics

Honours

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Awards

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See also

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References

[edit]
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