The Saudi Arabia World Cup 2022 squad has been announced, after manager Herve Renard whittled down his 32-man provisional list for the final 26.
Over the last few years, the Green Falcons have proven that there is more to Saudi Arabian football than Newcastle United.
Saudi Arabia qualified for back-to-back World Cups with two games remaining at the top of a third-round group that included both Japan and Australia. With the World Cup on their doorstep, there is growing optimism that Herve Renard’s side can match their achievement of reaching the last 16 in 1994 – an exercise in futility as they battle Mexico and Poland for second place.
For Qatar to succeed at the World Cup 2022, Saudi Arabia will need to maintain the disciplined aggression they showed in qualifying. After second-round draws with Yemen and Palestine earlier in Reynard’s tenure, Saudi Arabia’s entry to Qatar was strong, despite five of their seven wins in the third round being 1-0. They also won all five home games and beat Oman across the border, showing them a taste of Middle Eastern conditions.
Several key players are club-mates at Al Hilal, including midfielders Salem Al Dawsari, Mohamed Kanno and Salman Al Faraj, and Renard has built on that familiarity to create a cohesive unit. Strong defensively, the team kept six clean sheets in qualifying for the third round.
Like many West Asian nations, the entirely home-grown squad lacks top-level experience; The Saudi FA tried to address that by loaning players to Spanish clubs in 2018, but it didn’t really work. Meanwhile, Renard can’t decide on his best striker, with 22-year-old Firas Al Buraikan proving less effective as a lone frontman and Saleh Al Shehri bringing experience but inconsistency.
Saudi Arabia World Cup 2022 squad: Final 26-man squad
GK: Mohammed Al-Owais (Al-Hilal)
GK: Mohammed Al-Rubai (Al-Ahly)
GK: Nawaf Al-Aqidi (Al-Nasr)
DF: Yasser Al-Shahrani (Al-Hilal)
DF: Mohamed Al-Brek (Al-Hilal)
DF: Ali Al-Bulaihi (Al-Hilal)
DF: Sultan al-Ghanam (al-Nasr)
DF: Saud Abdulhamid (Al-Hilal)
DF: Abdullah Al-Amri (Al-Nasr)
DF: Hassan Tambakti (Al-Shabaab)
DF: Abdullah Madu (Al-Nasr)
MF: Salman Al-Faraj (Al-Hilal)
MF: Salem Al-Dousari (Al-Hilal)
MF: Nawaf al-Abed (Al-Shabaab)
MF: Abdullah Otayef (Al-Hilal)
MF: Hattan Bahebri (Al-Shabaab)
MF: Mohamed Kanno (Al-Hilal)
MF: Abdullah Al-Malki (Al-Hilal)
MF: Sami Al-Najei (Al-Nasr)
MF: Ali Al-Hasan (Al-Nasr)
MF: Nasser Al-Dousari (Al-Hilal)
MF: Abdulrahman Al-Aboud (Al-Ittihad)
MF: Riyad Sharhilli (Abha)
FW: Firas Al-Buraikan (Al-Fateh)
FW: Saleh Al-Shehri (Al-Hilal)
FW: Haitham Asiri (Al-Ahly)
Who is the manager of Saudi Arabia in the 2022 World Cup?
Herve Renard is well-regarded and has pedigree after leading Morocco to their first World Cup title in 20 years in 2018. Suube, 54, is also the only manager to have won the Africa Cup of Nations with two different countries (Zambia and Ivory Coast). ). He took the job in mid-2019 and led a strong qualifying campaign with a strategically flexible approach.
Who is the best player in Saudi Arabia?
Highly decorated winger Salem Al Dawsari, who won the 2021 AFC Champions League MVP award after leading Al Hilal to their second continental title in three years, has spent most of his playing career with the Saudi giants, barring a short loan spell at Villarreal. The 31-year-old scored a late winner against Egypt in the last World Cup.