Saudi national team's preparations for the 2026 World Cup
In a crucial step towards the most important global event, the head coach of the Saudi national football team, Giorgos Donis, officially announced the squad that will participate in the final training camp. This camp will be held from May 25th to June 10th in the United States and represents the fourth and final phase of the national team's preparation program for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™.
List of players selected to represent the Green Team
The squad selected by coach Donis included 30 players representing a mix of experience and youth: Mohammed Al-Owais, Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Ahmed Al-Kassar, Abdulquddus Attia, Abdulilah Al-Amri, Hassan Tambakti, Jihad Zikri, Ali Lajami, Hassan Kadash, Saud Abdulhamid, Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat, Ali Majrashi, Mutaib Al-Harbi, Nawaf Boushal, Zakaria Hawsawi, Mohammed Kanno, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Ziyad Al-Juhani, Nasser Al-Dawsari, Musab Al-Juwair, Alaa Al-Hajji, Salem Al-Dawsari, Khaled Al-Ghannam, Ayman Yahya, Sultan Mandash, Saleh Abu Al-Shamat, Firas Al-Buraikan, Abdullah Al-Salem, Saleh Al-Shehri, and Abdullah Al-Hamdan.
Details of the training camp and friendly matches
The Saudi national team is scheduled to depart for the United States on Monday evening, May 25. The first phase of their training camp will begin in New York City and continue until May 31, and will include a friendly match against Ecuador on Saturday, May 30, at Sports Illustrated in Harrison, New Jersey.
The team will then move to Austin, Texas on June 1st to begin the second phase of their preparations, which will last until June 9th. During this phase, the Saudi national team will play two friendly matches: the first against Puerto Rico on Friday, June 5th at Q2 Stadium in Austin, and the second against Senegal on Tuesday, June 9th at San Antonio Soccer Stadium. On June 10th, the team will officially enter the tournament, with Austin serving as their base.
The Green Team's Group in the World Cup and the Challenges of Competition
It is worth noting that the draw placed the national team in Group H of the FIFA World Cup 2026™, a strong group that includes Spain, Uruguay, and Cape Verde, which requires a high level of physical and technical readiness to compete against these different football schools.
Historical context and the importance of participating in the 2026 World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is an exceptional event in football history, being the first to be co-hosted by three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This edition also marks a historic increase in the number of participating teams, reaching 48. This expansion necessitates early and intensive preparation for the teams to adapt to the climate, time zone differences, and stadiums in North America, which explains why the Saudi national team's training camp will be held in several American cities.
The Saudi national team's participation in this World Cup is of paramount importance both domestically and regionally. Domestically, it reflects the remarkable progress of Saudi sports, aligning with the goals of Vision 2030, which aims to elevate Saudi football to the ranks of the world's elite. Regionally and internationally, the Saudi team carries the banner of Asian and Arab football, and being drawn into a group with former world champions like Spain and Uruguay presents a golden opportunity to demonstrate the development of Saudi football and its ability to achieve positive results that will raise its international ranking.
