Alkass Digital
Saudi Arabia head coach Roberto Mancini has named his 26-player squad for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023, with the tournament set to kick off on January 12.
The Green Falcons have been training with a preliminary squad at Celine Camp in Doha with Mancini omitting goalkeeper Mohamed Al Yami, midfielder Ali Hazazi and strikers Khaled Al Ghanem and Mohamed Maran.
Saudi Arabia are scheduled to play three friendlies, starting with Lebanon on Thursday, followed by Palestine on Tuesday with a final warm-up against Hong Kong, China on January 10.
Mancini’s charges, bidding for a fourth AFC Asian Cup title, have undergone extensive preparation which included friendlies against Venezuela, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Korea Republic, Nigeria and Mali.
They also played two matches in the Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027, defeating Pakistan 4-0 and Jordan 2-0 in November.
Saudi Arabia, who won the last of their three AFC Asian Cup titles in 1996, have Oman, Kyrgyz Republic and Thailand for company in Group F at Qatar 2023.
Saudi Arabia squad
Goalkeepers: 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 Al Dosari, Muhammad Kanno, and Sami Al Naji.
Forwards: Fahd Al Mawlid, Ayman Yahya, Abdul Rahman Gharib, Firas Al Braikan, Abdullah Radif, Saleh Al Shehri.