Saudi Arabia’s Asian Playoff Call-Up: Renard’s 27-Man Lineup Sparks Crunch Expectations
28 septembre 2025
Saudi Arabia’s Asian Playoff Squad: Renard’s selections explained
French coach Hervé Renard unveiled his 27-player squad as Saudi Arabia prepares for the Asian World Cup playoff route to the 2026 finals in the United States. The Greens will face Indonesia and Iraq in late September/October, with the first leg on October 8 and the return on October 14.
Renard named four goalkeepers and 23 outfield players across defense, midfield and attack. The list includes the following players:
Goalkeepers: Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Abdulrahman Al-Saibi, Mohammed Al-Yami, Raghid Al-Najjar.
Defenders: Meteb Al-Harbi, Jihad Dhikri, Mohammed Suleiman, Saad Al-Mousa, Hassan Tambakti, Ali Mujrshi, Saud Abdulhamid.
Midfielders: Nasser Al-Dosari, Ali Al-Hassan, Musab Al-Juwair, Ziad Al-Jehani, Mohammed Kanno, Abdullah Al-Kheibri, Nawaf Boushel.
Forwards: Salem Al-Dosari, Abdulrahman Al-Aboud, Ayman Yahya, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Saleh Abu Al-Shamat, Mohannad Al-Saad, Marwan Al-Sahafi, Faris Al-Breikan.
The campaign’s context is clear: the Saudis aim to secure the World Cup berth via the AFC’s Asia playoff, with the matches against Indonesia and Iraq acting as the gatekeepers to a 2026 finals bid in the United States.
Regarding the goalkeepers, Nawaf Al-Aqidi—who plays for Al-Nassr—has 13 international appearances with 16 goals conceded and five clean sheets. He recently featured in the national team’s September camp for friendlies against North Macedonia and the Czech Republic but was sidelined by injury. Abdulrahman Al-Saibi, the backup at Al-Ahli, has featured in two friendlies, conceding two goals. Mohammed Al-Yami, 28, of Al-Hilal, has six international caps, with three goals conceded and four clean sheets; his last appearance came in a friendly against the United States in 2022.
Raghid Al-Najjar of Al-Nasr is among the more experienced keepers, with 29 international appearances, though his recent top-level exposure remains limited to a single early 2024 Asia Cup match against Thailand under coach Roberto Mancini. In defense, Meteb Al-Harbi has nine caps with no goals or assists, while Jihad Dhakri (Al-Qadisiyah) has played two international matches. Mohammed Suleiman, also from Al-Ahli, has two caps with one assist. Saud Abdulhamid (RC Lens) brings further experience, with 45 international appearances including one goal and four assists.
In midfield, Nasser Al-Dosari has 32 caps with no goals but one assist, Ali Al-Hassan has 15 caps and one goal, Musab Al-Juwair, Ziad Al-Jehani, Mohammed Kanno, Abdullah Al-Khebri, and Nawaf Boushel (all contributing across the engine room of the squad).
In attack, Salem Al-Dosari is the most capped of the group with 95 appearances and 24 goals and 7 assists; Abdulrahman Al-Aboud has 11 caps with two goals; Ayman Yahya has 15 caps with one assist; Abdullah Al-Hamdan has 38 caps with 10 goals and two assists; Saleh Abu Shamat has 3 caps with one assist; Mohannad Al-Saad has 14 caps with no goals; Faris Al-Breikan has 57 caps with 11 goals and 4 assists; Saleh Al-Shehri has 43 caps with 15 goals and two assists—highlighting two of the team’s most clinical finishers.
Renard’s selections balance youth and experience, with several players stepping up to fill key roles in the two critical playoff matches. The squad’s composition suggests an emphasis on solidity at the back, with creativity and finishing capacity in the forward line ready to threaten Indonesia and Iraq.
Punchline 1: If Renard’s plan were a passport, it would grant entry to every corner of the pitch—no visa required for effort. Punchline 2: The only thing more organized than this squad is my spice rack—both are ensemble pieces that could use a good defender to keep things spicy but orderly.
