Saudi Arabia’s national football team is set to depart for Belgrade on Saturday evening after head coach Hervé Renard made a series of late changes to his squad for the upcoming friendly against Serbia, due to take place on Tuesday 31 March. The match forms part of Phase Three of Saudi Arabia’s World Cup 2026 preparation programme, a block of preparations that runs through the current FIFA international window until the end of March.
The most significant of Renard’s late adjustments was the recall of goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais, the Al-Ahli shot-stopper who had been absent from the initial camp list. The Frenchman’s decision to bring Al-Owais back into the fold came alongside a broader reshuffle that drew on players from the national team’s parallel B squad: Nawaf Boushal, Khalifa Al-Dosari, Mohammed Mahzari, Mohammed Al-Mujahid, and Abdulaziz Al-Alewa were all called up to join the main group for the Belgrade trip.
Departures and Withdrawals
Renard simultaneously moved Mourad Al-Housawi and Turki Al-Ammar across to the B squad, reflecting his intent to evaluate as wide a pool as possible during this preparation phase. Mutab Al-Harbi was ruled out on medical grounds after the team’s medical staff confirmed that an existing injury required further treatment and rehabilitation before he could return to competitive action. Ali Lajami and Hassan Kadesh were excluded from the travelling squad on technical grounds.
The final 27-man squad departing for Serbia includes Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Mohammed Al-Yami, Ahmed Al-Kassar, Mohammed Al-Owais, Nawaf Boushal, Mutab Al-Mufrej, Khalifa Al-Dosari, Mohammed Mahzari, Abdulilah Al-Amri, Ryan Hamed, Saud Abdulhamid, Ali Mujarrash, Ayman Yahya, Salman Al-Faraj, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Mohammed Kanno, Naif Masood, Mohammed Al-Mujahid, Khalid Al-Ghannam, Abdulaziz Al-Alewa, Ziyad Al-Juhani, Musa’ab Al-Juwair, Sultan Mandash, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Marwan Al-Sahfi, Saleh Al-Shehri, and Firas Al-Buraikan.
Building Toward the Tournament
The preparation programme follows an unusually large initial camp Renard convened earlier this month, when he gathered approximately 50 players to assess depth and form across the squad ahead of finalising his plans for the summer. Saudi Arabia enters the World Cup in Group H, where they will face Spain and Uruguay in one of the tournament’s most compelling first-round groupings.
Renard has repeatedly emphasised that no position in the squad is guaranteed and that each selection will be determined by form and tactical fit rather than reputation. The Serbia friendly represents another opportunity for players across the pool to make their case, with the tournament now just months away.
