Saeed's first appearance in the Gulf Cup of Nations was in the 1979 edition in Baghdad under the management of Ammo Baba. In Iraq's first match, against Bahrain, he scored a hat-trick. He also scored Iraq's two goals in their win over Qatar, scored a goal in Iraq's huge 5–0 win against the UAE, and scored a super hat-trick in the 7–0 victory over Oman. Iraq achieved the cup after finishing in 1st place at 12 points, breaking Kuwait's streak since the 1970 edition. Saeed also became the top goalscorer of the tournament with 10 goals, making him the all-time top goalscorer of the Arabian Gulf Cup.