Saudi Arabia’s national team arrived in Doha yesterday for AFC Asian Cup, which Qatar will host from on January 12. The Green Falcons have set up a training camp at the Sealine Resort and will also play three friendly matches before the tournament kicks off.
Roberto Mancini’s men will play their first friendly against Lebanon on January 4, followed by matches against Palestine on January 9 and Hong Kong on January 10. Mancini has called up 30 players for the camp, before he announces the final list of squad for the Asian Cup.
Saudi are one of the contenders for the title, having impressed at the last year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar, stunned eventual champions Argentina. At the Asian Cup, Saudi placed alongside Oman, Kyrgyzstan, and Thailand.
Saudi has already played six friendly matches ahead of the Asian Cup, facing teams like Venezuela, Bolivia, Costa Rica, South Korea, Nigeria, and Mali. Additionally, they played two matches in the first round of the second phase of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, against Pakistan and Jordan.
The Saudi team was welcomed by the organising committee of the Asian Cup upon their arrival at Hamad International Airport. Yasser al-Misehal, president of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the organising committee for their warm welcome and hospitality.
Saudi probable squadNawaf al-Aqidi, Mohamed al-Yami, Raghid Najjar, Ahmed al-Kassar, Hassan Kadesh, Awn al-Saluli, Ali al-Bulayhi, Ali Lajami, Hassan al-Tambakti, Saud Abdulhamid, Fawaz
al-Suqur, Ayman Yahia, Abdullah al-Khaibari, Ali Hazazi, Mukhtar Ali, Abdulelah al-Maliki, Faisal al-Ghamdi, Eid al-Mawlid, Salem al-Dawsari, Abbas al-Hassan, Nasser al-Dawsari, Mohamed Kanno, Sami al-Najei, Fahad al-Muwallad, Khaled
al-Ghannam, Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Mohamed Maran, Firas al-Brikan, Abdullah Radif, Saleh al-Shehri.
Saudi Arabia’s players arrive at the Hamad International Airport.
Saudi star Salem al-Dawsari is all smiles as he arrives in Doha.