Kanno’s Red Card Could Reshape Saudi World Cup 2026 Path After Arab Cup Save

Match incident and red card

The Arab Cup came to the rescue for Mohammed Kanno, the midfielder of Al Hilal and the Saudi national team, from missing the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, should the Green qualify for the finals directly.

The following note confirms that Kanno was sent off during the stoppage time of the Saudi Arabia vs Indonesia match held last Wednesday at Al-Inma Stadium, in the opening round of Group Two in the Asian World Cup playoff, which the Green won 3-2.

The Kuwaiti referee Ahmed Al-Ali sent off Mohammed Kanno after booking him twice in seconds, first for delaying play, second for dissent.

Kanno left the ball for his teammate Saud Abdul Hamid to take the throw-in, but the referee approached him and showed the yellow card.

But the Al Hilal star reacted with anger toward the officiating, confronting the referee in an improper manner. The official did not hesitate to issue a second yellow, then a red, ejecting Kanno a minute after he had come on as a substitute.

Implications and next fixtures

With that red card, it was confirmed that Kanno would miss the Iraq match, scheduled for next Tuesday, as part of Asia’s World Cup playoff for 2026.

The Saudi star will sit out the Iraq game after receiving a red card in the Indonesia match, which the Falcons sealed 3-2.

However, that punishment could be doubled, as some press reports revealed behind-the-scenes details of the decision by referee Ahmed Al-Ali to send Kanno off the field.

Saudi media had suggested that Kanno told the referee, “Are you crazy?” after the player refused to accept that the official was wasting time with the throw-in.

The Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadhiah reported that Al-Ali noted in his report the action that led to Kanno’s dismissal.

The report also stated that the referee’s account will include cases studied by the AFC Disciplinary Committee.

This could lead to an additional disciplinary sanction against Kanno if he is found at fault in the referee’s report, and if the disciplinary committee deems his conduct unsportsmanlike toward the match official.

Arab Cup saves Kanno

Al-Riyadhiah indicated that if Kanno is suspended for more than one match, he would miss Saudi Arabia’s participation in the 2025 Arab Cup hosted by Qatar in December, noting it is an official FIFA-regulated event, not a friendly.

The paper quoted Jordanian legal expert Emad Hanaine, who said, “If AFC issues a disciplinary decision against Kanno, in addition to the automatic red-card suspension, that will push the sanction to Saudi Arabia’s nearest international match.”

Hanaine added that the sanction “will be in the Arab Cup, staged ahead of the World Cup finals.”

The expert urged the Saudi Football Federation to seek official clarification, since the Arab Cup is officially under FIFA, and it’s wise to avoid future issues.

If Kanno misses the Arab Cup, it won’t be a crisis for the Saudis, especially since the Green could participate with a squad of substitutes, as happened in the tournament’s first edition in Doha in 2021.

Regarding applying such sanctions to Kanno at Al Hilal, Hanaine replied that club competitions are not subject to disciplinary penalties imposed on a player by his national team.

All of this hinges on Saudi Arabia qualifying directly to the 2026 World Cup finals, without resorting to the intercontinental playoff; if they do go to the playoff, the sanction could apply to him in those matches.

World Cup dream

The Saudi team remains close to qualification for the 2026 World Cup after their 3-2 victory over Indonesia on Wednesday, in the opening Asian playoff tie.

The Green now needs to beat Iraq by any result to secure a World Cup berth, and may only require a draw if Iraq stumbles in their Saturday match against Indonesia in the Asian playoff.

The Saudi–Iraq clash will be decisive for qualification and is set for Tuesday, October 14, at the Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah.

Punchline: If football were a sniper’s range, two yellows would be a quick ping—but even a sharp shooter can miss the target when the referee’s timing is off. Punchline 2: Kanno’s red card shows up faster than my gym membership—it's off the field before you can say “offside.”