Italian coach Roberto Mancini revealed on Thursday Saudi Arabia’s squad for the 2026 World Cup upcoming qualifiers. Saudi Arabia will face Japan at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on October 10, followed by Bahrain at the same venue five days later. Key players include Roma’s Saud Abdulhamid and Beerschot’s Faisal Al-Ghamdi and Marwan Al-Sahafi.
Notable Exclusions Stir Debate
Mancini made some surprising decisions with his World Cup qualifiers squad selection. Al Hilal goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais was excluded due to injury, while forward Abdullah Al-Hamdan was left out for tactical reasons. However, the biggest shock was the omission of Al Hilal duo defender Ali Al-Bulaihi and midfielder Mohammed Kanoo. Both players are fully fit and have been delivering strong performances this season. Their exclusion sparked considerable debate on social media.
قائمة المدير الفني للمنتخب الوطني @robymancio لمواجهتي اليابان، البحرين أصبحت جاهزة 🦅🔽
7⃣ أيام تفصلنا عن مواجهتنا أمام منتخب اليابان، احجز تذكرتك، وساند الأخضر في الجوهرة 🎫https://t.co/bhNs802Jn0#الطريق_إلى_كأس_العالم2026 pic.twitter.com/uEGJsKdShi
— المنتخب السعودي (@SaudiNT) October 3, 2024
Saudi Squad List
Goalkeepers: Ahmed Al-Kassar, Mohammed Al-Yami, Raghd Najjar, Hamed Youssef
Defenders: Hassan Kadish, Mishal Khairallah, Awn Al-Salouli, Ali Lajami, Hassan Tambakti, Rayan Hamed, Saud Abdulhamid, Sultan Al-Ghannam
Midfielders: Ali Al-Asimari, Hamed Al-Ghamdi, Musab Al-Juwair, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Abdulilah Al-Malki, Hussein Al-Subiani, Marwan Al-Sahafi, Ayman Yahya, Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Mohammed Maran, Salem Al-Dawsari, Faisal Al-Ghamdi, Nasser Al-Dawsari
Forwards: Firas Al-Buraikan, Saleh Al-Shehri, Abdullah Radif
Saudi Arabia’s Group C Standing
Saudi Arabia currently hold second place in the Asian WC 2026 Group C with four points, trailing Japan by two points. They kicked off their campaign with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Indonesia in Riyadh. However, they regained momentum with a critical 2-1 victory away against China.
