KUWAIT NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM

The 'Kuwait national football team' is the national team of Kuwait and is controlled by the Kuwait Football Association. They made one World Cup Finals appearance, in 1982, managing a draw with Czechoslovakia but losing to England and France. During the match against France, France scored a goal while some of the Kuwaiti players had stopped, having heard a whistle. The goal was initially awarded by the referee, who had not blown, but Kuwait walked off the pitch in protest. They eventually resumed playing only after the intervention of Prince Fahid and the referee's changing his mind to disallow the French goal.
They have better success contending for the Asian Cup, reaching the finals in 1976 and taking home the winner's trophy in 1980.
Kuwait's 20-0 win over Bhutan in 2000 was at the time the biggest ever win in international football. It was surpassed in 2001, when Australia beat Tonga 22-0. Also in 2000, Kuwait took part at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
The side are regarded as a rising force in Asian football, having knocked China, traditionally one of the stronger teams, out of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup.
Kuwait has shown great improvement in 2006, first by beating Australia 2-0 on September 6. Kuwait later beat Lithuania 1-0. Kuwait then crushed Taiwan in a 10-0 defeat. However, the successful stint was demolished when Kuwait lost 2-1 to Bahrain on November 16, in an AFC Asian Cup qualifier. The Kuwaiti team was knocked out of the AFC Asian Cup. But in December, the romanian coach Mihai Stoichita got sacked and was replaced with Fawzi Ibrahim with the "Prince of Managers" Saleh Zakaria as assistant.

Contents

World Cup record

Asian Cup record

Last and next games

Famous players

Current squad

Titles

World Cup record

★ 1930 to 1970 - ''Did not enter''

★ 1974 - ''Did not qualify''

★ 1978 - ''Did not qualify''

★ 1982 - Round 1

★ 1986 to 2006 - ''Did not qualify''

Asian Cup record

★ 1956 to 1968 - ''Did not enter''

★ 1972 - Round 1

★ 1976 - Second place

★ 1980 - 'Champions'

★ 1984 - Third place

★ 1988 - Round 1

★ 1992 - ''Did not qualify''

★ 1996 - Fourth place

★ 2000 - Quarterfinals

★ 2004 - Round 1

★ 2007 - ''Did not qualify''

Last and next games

January 17, 2007, Abu Dhabi, UAE - '1 - 1' Friendly
January 20, 2007, Abu Dhabi, UAE - '1 - 2' Friendly
January 23, 2007, Abu Dhabi, UAE - '3 - 2' Friendly
June 5, 2007, Kuwait City, Kuwait - '1 - 1' Friendly
June 12, 2007, Kuwait City, Kuwait - '1 - 1' Friendly

Famous players

★ Jasem Yacob

★ Fathi Kamel

★ Abdulaziz Al Anberi

★ Bader Al Halabeej

★ Abdullah Wabran

★ Fasil Al Dikel

★ Bashar Abdallah

★ Khalid Al Fadhli

★ Jassem Al Houwaidi

★ Shebab Kankune

Current squad

(May, 2007)



'Goalkeepers':


Khaled Alrasheedi

Nawaf Khalid Al Khaldi

Hamed Alqalaf


'Defenders':


Yaqoub Abdullah Altaher

Ali Asel

Nohayer Al Shammari

Ali Al Namash

Musaed Neda

Khaled Al Shammari

Jamal Mubarak Abdul-Rahman

Abdullah Al Fadli

Musaed Al Selaili

Fahad Shaheen

Ahmad Al Eidan

Husain Al Shammari


'Midfielders':


Mohammad Al Buraiki

Nawaf Al Humaidan

Saleh Salem Al Buraiki

Waleed Ali Hussein Jumah

Jarah Al Ataiqi

Saleh Al Shiekh]

Abdulrahman Al Dawood

Nawaf Al Mutairi

Hamad Al-Tayyar

Mohammad Fahad Al Mutairi

Yousef Youssouf Salem Zayed Al Youha

Hamad Al Basri

Khaled Matar

Ahmad Al Shammari

Sager Al-Antari

Mohammad Jarragh

Ahmad Al Azemi

Khaled Zadah

Nawaf Al Shuwaye

Ahmad Al Rasheedi


'Forwards':


Fahed Alrasheedi

Khalaf Salama Al Mutairi

Fahad Al Hamad

Bader Al-Mutwa

Mohammed Al Failakawi

Faraj Laheeb Saied

Titles