Qatar are hosting the Saudi Arabia Men for an XVs match at the Onazia Training Grounds on Friday, 15th May 2026.
Photo Credit – Qatar vs Kazakhstan 2023 Men’s XV Rugby
There is very little information on this fixture, but here is what we know about the two nations’ rugby and preparation for the match.
Qatar Rugby Federation
The Qatar Rugby Federation board member, Saad Al-Abdullah, recently said in an interview that they are “intensifying efforts to expand the sport’s footprint in the country and build a competitive national team ahead of the 2030 Asian Games.”
He said that “Rugby in Qatar started in 1973 through employees working at Qatar Petroleum, and since then the sport has continued to grow until the official federation was established in 2016.” In 2023, World Rugby confirmed it accepted Qatar as a full member.
He suggested the playing pool in Qatar is between 300 and 400 players across various age categories and divisions, including men’s, women’s, under-18 and under-15 teams. Clubs include Doha Rugby, Oryx, Titans, Blue Falcons and Camels.
In 2025, the Qatar Rugby Federation and the Fiji Rugby Union signed an MoU, and the Fiji 7s team spent time in Doha before the Dubai 7s took place at the end of 2025.
Saad Al-Abdullah said that Qatar intends to enter the Asia Rugby Emirates Trophy Sevens and Division One Men’s 15s in 2026. Of the 15s he added, “If we win the Division One tournament, we will move into the top five in Asia.”
We are not sure this is accurate based on the rankings, and there is still no publicly outlined clear pathway to the AREMC. The top division includes Hong Kong China, Korea, the UAE, and Sri Lanka, with Malaysia recently relegated from the Championship. Japan is the highest-ranked Asian Men’s team.
Qatar did win the 2023 men’s Asia Rugby Championship Division 2 title, beating India and Kazakhstan in Doha, and the Qataris were the only non-ranked team at the time as they were not Full Members. In 2024, they finished 3rd among four teams in the Asia Rugby Men’s Division 1.
Saudi Arabia Rugby Federation
The Saudi national team competed internationally for the first time at the 2014 Asian Games in Korea in Rugby 7s. They previously played a men’s XV international in 2019.
The Men’s s team most recently competed in the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Trophy 2025, and women’s programmes were launched in late 2023.
Asia Rugby said the Saudi Arabia Men’s XV fixture against Qatar “marks an important revival of XV Test rugby for the Kingdom as the national programme enters a new phase of development and ambition.”
The Saudi Arabia Rugby Federation has introduced the SARF 15s Series, SARF 7s Series, youth competitions, women’s tournaments, school rugby initiatives, touch rugby programmes, and community participation projects over recent years.
Local clubs include: Riyadh Warriors, Riyadh Falcons, Jeddah Rugby, Khobar Rugby, Jubail Rugby, and NEOM Rugby Club.
SARF President Ali Al Dajani said via Asia Rugby, “The return of our men’s XV programme to the international stage is a major milestone for the federation, and we see it as the launch of a 15s campaign that will trailblaze the path for everything that follows.”
Qatar are ranked 98 by World Rugby, and Saudi Arabia is unranked.
RESULT – Qatar 58-12 Saudi Arabia
Qatar Men’s Squad vs Saudi Arabia – May 2026
Qatar Rugby posted individual XV’s jersey presentation for the nation’s inaugural Test Match against Saudi Rugby but no player names were included, and no squad list has been put out that we have seen.
The Head Coach is Hassan El Sabeh.
Saudi Arabia Men’s Squad vs Qatar – May 2026
The Saudi national XV programme has a wider training group and held several national camps and selection activities as the squad was reduced from 40 players to the final travelling group listed below.
Saudi Arabia Men’s 15s Head Coach Sami Smara said, “The players have shown tremendous commitment throughout the preparation period. The level of competition within the squad continues to improve, and we are seeing strong growth in discipline, fitness, tactical understanding, and team cohesion. This is another important step in the development of Saudi rugby.”
How To Watch The Qatar vs Saudi Arabia Match?
We have not seen any confirmation, but we hope and assume the match will be streamed online. The fixture kicks off at 8 PM local time
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