Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia head coach Hervé Renard has announced a 34-man squad for the upcoming June fixtures in the AFC qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Green Falcons will face Bahrain away on June 5 at Bahrain National Stadium before returning home to host Australia on June 10 at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
Both matches form part of Matchdays 9 and 10 of the Asian qualifying campaign.
The squad features a mix of experienced regulars and emerging talents, with standout names including captain Salem Al-Dawsari, Mohamed Kanno, Hassan Tambakti, and goalkeepers Nawaf Al-Aqidi and Ahmed Al-Kassar.
Among the call-ups are also promising young midfielders such as Faisal Al-Ghamdi and Turki Al-Ammar, while the attacking line will be led by established forwards Saleh Al-Shehri, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, and Firas Al-Buraikan.
Full squad: Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Ahmed Al-Kassar, Hamed Youssef, Abdulrahman Al-Sanabi, Hassan Kadesh, Jihad Thikri, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Ali Lajami, Hassan Tambakti, Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti, Saud Abdulhamid, Muteb Al-Harbi, Nawaf Boushal, Ali Majrashi, Mohammed Bakr, Mukhtar Ali, Musab Al-Juwair, Ali Al-Asmari, Nasser Al-Dawsari, Faisal Al-Ghamdi, Mohamed Kanno, Ali Al-Hassan, Ziyad Al-Juhani, Turki Al-Ammar, Marwan Al-Sahafi, Salem Al-Dawsari, Hammam Al-Hamami, Abdulrahman Al-Aboud, Ayman Yahya, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Abdullah Al-Salem, Muhannad Al-Saad, Saleh Al-Shehri, Firas Al-Buraikan.
The squad will convene in Al Khobar for a preparatory training camp beginning Wednesday, May 29. As part of the build-up, Saudi Arabia will hold a closed-door friendly training match against Jordan on May 30 at Al Ettifaq’s Ego Stadium.
Players from Al Ittihad and Al Qadsiah have been granted a short-term exemption from the camp due to their participation in the King’s Cup final, and will join the national team afterward.
Saudi Arabia are currently drawn in Group C of the third round of Asian qualifying, alongside Japan, Australia, Bahrain, China, and Indonesia. With two critical matches ahead, Renard’s side will be aiming to solidify their path to North America 2026.
