Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Roberto Mancini, the head coach of the Saudi national football team, has announced the squad for the third and fourth rounds of the second phase of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup.

The Saudi team's training camp will start next Sunday in Riyadh, featuring 28 players: Mohammed Al-Owais, Ahmed Al-Kassar, Raghid Najjar, Mohammed Al-Yami, Saud Abdulhamid, Fawaz Al-Sugor, Ali Al-Bulayhi, Ali Lajami, Awn Al-Saluli, Hassan Kadsh, Waleed Al-Ahmad, Rayan Hamed, Yasser Al-Shahrani, Muteb Al-Harbi, Ayman Yahya, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Mukhtar Ali, AbduleIah Al-Malki, Mohammed Kanno, Faisal Al-Ghamdi, Nasser Al-Dawsari, Abbas Al-Hasan, Sami Al-Najei, Salem Al-Dawsari, Abdulrahman Gharib, Abdullah Radif, Firas Al-Brikan, and Saleh Al-Shehri.

The Saudi team will host the Tajikistan national team on March 21 at the Al-Awwal Park Stadium in Riyadh and will play as a guest against the same team on March 26 at the Central Stadium in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe.

Saudi Arabia is in Group 7 of the second round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup, alongside Jordan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan. The team leads its group with 6 points after winning against the teams of Pakistan and Jordan in the first and second rounds.