RIYADH: Lens defender Saud Abdulhamid will spearhead Saudi Arabia’s World Cup team, with forward Salem Al Dawsari set for a third appearance in the tournament, after coach Georgios Donis named his 26-man squad on Monday.

Abdulhamid, who won the French Cup this year, is the only player based abroad in the Saudi squad for the event, which will be held in the US, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.

Al Hilal’s Al Dawsari, the 2025 AFC player of the year, is set to feature at his third World Cup, after debuting in 2018 and playing in the 2022 edition.

Greek coach Donis will rely on 34-year-old goalkeeper Mohamed Al Owais, who played four games in his two World Cup appearances, while Al Hilal defender Hassan Tambakti and teammate midfielder Mohamed Kanno will lend experience.

Al Qadsiah midfielder Mohammed Abu Alshamat will make it to finals, while his twin brother Saleh, who plays for Asian champions Al Ahli was not included in the final list.

Saudi lost their first game under Donis 2-1 to Ecuador in a friendly on Sunday and will face Puerto Rico and Senegal in their final warm-ups for the World Cup.

They open their Group ‘H’ campaign against Uruguay in Miami on June 15, before facing Spain in Atlanta on June 21 and Cape Verde in Houston on June 26.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Nawaf Al Aqidi, Mohamed Al Owais, Ahmed Alkassar; Defenders: Saud Abdulhamid, Jehad Thakri, Abdulelah Al Amri, Hassan Tambakti, Ali Lajami, Hassan Kadesh, Moteb Al Harbi, Nawaf Boushal, Ali Majrashi, Mohammed Abu Alshamat; Midfielders: Ziyad Al Johani, Nasser Al Dawsari, Mohamed Kanno, Abdullah Al Khaibari, Alaa Al Hejji, Musab Al Juwayr, Sultan Mandash, Ayman Yahya, Khalid Al Ghannam; Forwards: Salem Al Dawsari, Abdullah Al Hamdan, Feras Al Brikan, Saleh Al Shehri.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2026