Saudi Arabia head coach Roberto Mancini has named his 26-player squad for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar, with the tournament set to kick off on January 12.
The Green Falcons have been training with a preliminary squad at camp in Sealine with Mancini omitting goalkeeper Mohamed al-Yami, midfielder Ali Hazazi and strikers Khaled al-Ghanem and Mohamed Maran. Saudi Arabia, who won the last of their three AFC Asian Cup titles in 1996, have Oman, Kyrgyztan and Thailand for company in Group F.
Salem al-Dawsari – the Asian Player of the Year – is the biggest star in line up. He was Saudi’s star of the World Cup and if the Green Falcons want go all the way, they need the midfielder to fire.
Former Manchester City and Inter Milan boss Mancini has selected forward Firas al-Buraikan, who scored 17 goals last season for Al Fateh, earning himself a big move to Al Ahli where he has continued his hot streak. Saudi are scheduled to play three friendlies, starting with Lebanon today, followed by Palestine on Tuesday with a final warm-up against Hong Kong on January 10.
Mancini’s charges, bidding for a fourth Asian Cup title, have undergone extensive preparation which included friendlies against Venezuela, Bolivia, Costa Rica, South Korea, Nigeria and Mali. They also played two matches in the Preliminary Joint Qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and Asian Cup 2027, defeating Pakistan 4-0 and Jordan 2-0 in November.
squadGoalkeepers: Nawaf al-Aqidi, Raghed Najjar, and Ahmed al-Kassar.
Defenders: Hassan Kadish, Aoun al-Saluli, Ali al-Bulaihi, Ali Lagami, Hassan al-Tambakti, Saud Abdul Hamid, Fawaz al-Saqour, and Abdullah al-Khaybari.
Midfielders: AbdulIlah al-Maliki, Mukhtar Ali, Faisal al-Ghamdi, Eid al-Mawlid, Salem al-Dawsari, Abbas al-Hassan, Nasser ak-Dosari, Mohamed Kanno, and Sami al-Naji.
Forwards: Fahd al-Mawlid, Ayman Yahya, Abdul Rahman Gharib, Firas al-Buraikan, Abdullah Radif, Saleh al-Shehri.
Saudi Arabia players at a training camp in Sealine on Wednesday.
