After Saudi Arabia drew 0-0 with Cape Verde in their final group stage match of the FIFA World Cup, defender Nawaf Al-Boushal was interviewed in the FIFA mixed zone.

You and a group of players like Al-Shamrani may be representing the national team in major tournaments for the third or fourth time. We seem to be repeating the same situation at the Arab Cup, the Gulf Cup, and the AFC Asian Cup – participating and then being eliminated. Can you explain what is really happening in these tournaments?

First, in the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This is all destiny. We have done our best and worked hard to do what needed to be done, and even more. But the final result is determined by Allah. Of course, being eliminated from this tournament is not a good thing, especially in a competition like this. But this is the result that has been determined. We hope to make up for it later, God willing.

After elimination, what would you like to say to Saudi fans? From the first match to the last, the fans have always supported you directly. What would you like to tell them?

No amount of thanks we can give to Saudi fans will ever be enough. They have given us tremendous support, both in person and through the screens. May Allah bless them, and we sincerely thank them. We hope Allah will give us good results in the upcoming matches to make them happy.

Today, the Saudi team said goodbye to the tournament under the new 48-team format, whereas in the past, we participated in the 32-team format. Do you think today's result could be called a failure?

First of all, thank you for your question. No, there is no such thing as failure in football. We have worked hard and continuously tried, but as I said, it is all in Allah's plan. As long as you are still fighting, still participating, and have come this far, it cannot be called a failure. Of course, our goal is not just to participate. But praise be to Allah, this is destiny. We hope to reach a higher stage in upcoming tournaments and make the fans happy.

The FIFA World Cup 2034 will be held in Saudi Arabia. Will the Saudi team be able to achieve better results playing at home then?

We hope Allah allows us all to see that day. But before that, we still need to play well in the current tournament and then think about the future. We will discuss this question later.

First, I would like to ask about your injury. Also, my question is whether the late coaching change put a lot of pressure on you? Did this change – new coaching staff, medical team, and management team – negatively impact you?

May Allah bless me, my condition should not be serious. I will undergo the necessary examinations, and I hope everything will be fine. Regarding your point about the late coaching change, I don't think there is such a thing as "too late," nor is it something we can decide. The Saudi Football Federation is responsible for this decision, and we support every decision they make. God willing, we will make up for the shortcomings in the future.

We have only been working with the coaching staff for a month. I am not saying this is the reason for our elimination, but the collaboration period was indeed short. I hope their philosophy will gradually become clear, and I also hope this can play a role in upcoming matches and make the Saudi people happy.

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