Saudi Arabia Drop 8 Gulf Cup Winners as Donis Names Squad for Qatar Camp

Saudi Arabia head coach Georgios Donis has left eight players out of his latest squad following the national team's Gulf Cup 27 triumph last October, as the Green Falcons prepare for an international training camp in Doha, Qatar.

The squad, announced through the Saudi national team's official account on X on Wednesday, will gather from November 9 to 17 during the upcoming FIFA international window.

Among those left out is Hummam Al Hammami, who was named Player of the Tournament at the Gulf Cup 27. The other seven omissions are Nawaf Al Aqidi, Jihad Zikri, Hassan Kadesh, Rayan Hamed, Zakaria Hawsawi, Saleh Abu Al Shamat and Alaa Al Haji.

Captain Salem Al-Dawsari is also absent for the second consecutive squad announcement. The Al Hilal winger was not included in the Gulf Cup-winning squad and has once again been left out of Donis' selection for the upcoming international window.

11 New Faces in the Squad

Donis has called up 11 players, including Saudi international Saud Abdulhamid, who currently plays for French club Nice, and Musab Al Juwayr, who was surprisingly left out of the squad just days before the previous Gulf Cup tournament.

The other additions are Ali Lajami, Fares Abdi, Sultan Tanker, Abdullah Al Khaibari, Abdulmalik Al Owayri, Marwan Al Sahafi, Mohammed Al Kuwaykibi, Ahmed Al Ghamdi and Turki Al Ammar.

Meanwhile, 19 players from the Gulf Cup-winning squad have retained their places.

They are Mohammed Al Owais, Hamed Youssef, Abdulquddus Attiyah, Abdulilah Al Amri, Hassan Al Tambakti, Nawaf Boushal, Mohammed Mahzari, Mohammed Abu Al Shamat, Moteb Al Harbi, Mukhtar Ali, Abdullah Al Khaibari, Mohammed Kanno, Ziyad Al Johani, Nasser Al Dosari, Sultan Mandash, Mohammed Al Qahtani, Abdullah Al Hamdan, Firas Al Buraikan and Abdullah Al Salem.

Doha Camp to Go Ahead as Planned

Saudi newspaper Al Riyadiah reported on November 3, citing a source close to the national team, that the Doha training camp would proceed as scheduled despite the Asian Football Confederation's announcement of a revised schedule for the next AFC Asian Cup.

The AFC, in consultation with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and the local organising committee for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027, rescheduled the tournament to run from December 23, 2027, to January 21, 2028.

The Saudi delegation is expected to stay at the Waldorf Astoria Doha during the overseas training camp, which will include two friendly matches as part of the team's preparations during the FIFA international window.

Source: Al Riyadiah