A Saudi national women’s team winning a tournament would ideally be front-page news. But a friendly match showcasing contemporary soccer's four greatest male stars in the nation’s capital on the same day almost drowned out the story in Saudi Arabia last month.

Faraway from Riyadh’s King Fahd International Stadium, where Cristiano Ronaldo of the Al Nassr-Al Hilal combined XI and Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe of visiting Paris Saint-Germain met for the first time on any pitch, Saudi Arabia’s national women's team were crowned champions at the Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium in Al-Khobar, a small city some 400 kilometers (248 miles) from the capital. They were competing at the four-nation Women’s International Friendly Tournament alongside soccer teams from Pakistan, Mauritius and Comoros. 

Despite the relatively low media coverage and the very low ranking of participating teams, the hosting of the four-nation tournament and Saudi Arabia's participation is a historic event.

Saudi Arabia formed a women's national soccer team less than two years ago and is not ranked among FIFA's 187 nations. Mauritius ranks 187 and Comoros ranks 182, but Pakistan is higher at 160, with few of its players participating in European leagues.