Published: 02 June 2026
The Saudi national football team is putting the finishing touches to its preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2026, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, running from 11 June to 19 July. The squad has been based at New York City FC's training centre in the United States, where intensive sessions have focused on sharpening the players' physical and technical readiness. Friendly matches have also given new Greek head coach Georgios Donis the opportunity to settle on the tactical setup and starting line-up he intends to deploy when Saudi Arabia's group stage campaign gets underway.
A Demanding Group Stage
Saudi Arabia have been drawn into a challenging group. They open their campaign against Uruguay at Miami on Monday, 15 June, before facing Spain — one of the tournament's foremost contenders — in Atlanta on Sunday, 21 June. They conclude the group stage against Cape Verde in Houston on Friday, 26 June.
Saudi Arabia's World Cup History
There is a pleasing symmetry to this year's tournament: the Green Falcons return to the United States, the very country where their World Cup story began. It was at the 1994 edition on American soil that Saudi Arabia made their debut on football's grandest stage, reaching the Round of 16 in what remains their finest World Cup achievement. Now they return for a seventh appearance at the tournament.
Saudi Arabia are among the most prominent Asian nations in World Cup history. Following that breakthrough in 1994, they went on to participate in the 1998, 2002, and 2006 editions, before a ten-year absence across the 2010 and 2014 tournaments. They returned in 2018 and again at Qatar 2022, where they produced one of the most memorable upsets in recent World Cup history, defeating reigning champions Argentina 2–1 in a result that reverberated around the world.
The Road to 2026
Saudi Arabia's path to this year's tournament was hard-fought. They finished as runners-up in their group during the second round of Asian qualifying, before navigating contests against Japan and Australia in the third round. A place at the finals was ultimately secured in the fourth round play-offs, where victories over Indonesia and a draw against Iraq proved enough for Saudi Arabia to top the group on goal difference.
The Squad
Head coach Georgios Donis has named a squad drawn largely from the Saudi Pro League, with the notable addition of Saud Abdulhamid, who plies his trade with French side Lens — newly crowned winners of the Coupe de France 2026 for the first time in their history, and runners-up in Ligue 1 this season. Other prominent names in the squad include Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Mohammed Al-Owais, Hassan Al-Tambakti, Hassan Kadesh, Ali Al-Lajami, Ali Majrashi, Mohammed Kanno, Moteb Al-Harbi, Nasser Al-Dawsari, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Salem Al-Dawsari, Firas Al-Buraikan, Khalid Al-Ghannam, and Saleh Al-Shehri.
Each player has displayed an exceptional command of the game individually and the entire squad should make for a formidable showing at the tournament.
A Nation Ready to Dream
Only days remain before Saudi supporters can watch their side step onto the world stage once more, with ambitions higher and resolve stronger than ever. Saudi Arabia enter a competition that may look daunting on paper, but they do so with high morale and thorough preparation, drawing inspiration from that extraordinary performance against Argentina at Qatar 2022. On that occasion, the players demonstrated that tactical intelligence, skill, and collective spirit can count for more than reputation and star power. The hope is that they can do so again.
