Saudi Arabia's Bold Gulf 27 Squad Without Captain Salem Al-Dawsari

Saudi Arabia will walk into Gulf 27 on home soil with a new look and a clear message: no one is untouchable.

Head coach Georgios Donis unveiled his 26-man squad for the tournament, which runs in Jeddah from 23 September to 6 October, and the headline was impossible to miss. Salem Al-Dawsari, the national team’s captain and one of the country’s defining stars of the last decade, has been left out. So too has Roma defender Saud Abdulhamid. Both were part of the Green Falcons’ World Cup campaign in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Both now watch this one from the outside.

They are not alone in that queue.

Ahmed Al-Kassar, Ali Majrashi, Ali Lajami, Ayman Yahya, Saleh Al-Shehri and Khalid Al-Ghannam have all been cut as well. Eight players who went to the World Cup. Eight players missing from a regional tournament on home ground. Donis has wasted no time in putting his own stamp on this squad.

Eight out, eight in

The Greek coach has moved decisively to refresh the group, calling up eight new faces to fill the gaps and inject energy into the side.

Hamed Al-Shanqiti, Mohammed Mahzari, Zakaria Hawsawi, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Saleh Abu Al-Shamat, Abdullah Al-Salem, Rayan Hamed and Hammam Al-Hammami all step into the Gulf 27 squad, handed a chance to stake their claim in front of home fans and a demanding football public.

It is a gamble, but a calculated one. A regional tournament, in familiar conditions, becomes a testing ground. Donis is clearly prepared to live with the noise that comes with leaving out big names if it means building a group that fits his ideas.

According to the Saudi national team’s account on X, the final 26-man list reads:

• Goalkeepers: Mohammed Al-Owais, Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Hamed Al-Shanqiti
• Defenders: Abdulelah Al-Amri, Jihad Zikri, Rayan Hamed, Hassan Kadesh, Hassan Tambakti, Nawaf Boushal, Mohammed Mahzari, Mutaib Al-Harbi, Zakaria Hawsawi
• Midfielders: Musab Al-Juwayr, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Mohammed Kanno, Ziyad Al-Johani, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Nasser Al-Dawsari, Alaa Haji, Sultan Mandash, Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat, Hammam Al-Hammami, Saleh Abu Al-Shamat
• Forwards: Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Firas Al-Buraikan, Abdullah Al-Salem

It is a blend of familiar names and fresh ones, but the shift in hierarchy is obvious. Established figures left out, younger or less heralded players brought in. The message from the bench is sharp: form and fit over reputation.

Group of risk and opportunity

Saudi Arabia open their campaign against Kuwait on 23 September at Al-Inma Stadium in King Abdullah Sports City. That first night in Jeddah will set the tone. A stutter, and the debate over the omissions will grow louder. A strong start, and Donis’s bold calls start to look like clarity rather than risk.

Oman arrive next on 26 September, a side always awkward, always competitive. Then comes Iraq on the 29th, a fixture that rarely passes quietly and may well decide who tops the group.

The draw placed Saudi Arabia in Group One alongside Kuwait, Oman and Iraq. Group Two brings together Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and Yemen, leaving the hosts in a pool that offers no guarantees but plenty of chances to harden a new core.

A home Gulf Cup, a new coach, and a captain watching from home. Donis has chosen his path. Gulf 27 will show whether this is the start of a new era for the Green Falcons, or an early storm in a tenure that has only just begun.