Saudi Arabia's Gulf 27 Squad: Donis Makes Bold Selections
Georgios Donis has wasted no time making big calls.
The Greece-born head coach of Saudi Arabia has named his 26-man squad for the Gulf Cup “Gulf 27”, and two of the country’s biggest stars are nowhere to be seen. The tournament will be staged in Jeddah from 23 September to 6 October, but it will go ahead without national team captain Salem Al-Dawsari and Roma defender Saud Abdulhamid.
Both were part of the Green Falcons’ squad at the recent World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Both are now on the outside looking in.
Donis draws a hard line
Al-Dawsari and Abdulhamid are not the only high-profile absentees. Donis has cut deep into the World Cup group, leaving out Ahmed Al-Kassar, Ali Majrashi, Ali Lajami, Ayman Yahya, Saleh Al-Shehri and Khalid Al-Ghannam as well. Eight players who went to football’s biggest stage will not be going to Gulf 27.
The message is clear: reputations do not guarantee places.
To reshape his squad, Donis has turned to fresh blood. Eight new faces have been called up: Hamed Al-Shanqiti, Mohammed Mahzari, Zakaria Hawsawi, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Saleh Abu Al-Shamat, Abdullah Al-Salem, Rayan Hamed and Hammam Al-Hammami. For them, Jeddah is not just a host city; it is an audition.
The 26-man squad
Saudi Arabia’s account on X confirmed the final list, a blend of familiar names and those stepping onto this stage for the first time. The 26 players are:
- Mohammed Al-Owais
- Nawaf Al-Aqidi
- Hamed Al-Shanqiti
- Abdulelah Al-Amri
- Jihad Zikri
- Rayan Hamed
- Hassan Kadesh
- Hassan Tambakti
- Nawaf Boushal
- Mohammed Mahzari
- Mutaib Al-Harbi
- Zakaria Hawsawi
- 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
- Abdullah Al-Hamdan
- Firas Al-Buraikan
- Abdullah Al-Salem
Experience sits alongside opportunity. The spine of the side remains, but the edges have been sharpened with youth and hunger.
Group of tests in Jeddah
Saudi Arabia will not have long to settle. They open their Gulf 27 campaign against Kuwait on 23 September at Al-Inma Stadium in King Abdullah Sports City. That fixture will set the tone for Donis’s new era.
Oman await on 26 September, a different kind of challenge and a crucial test of squad depth so early in the tournament. Iraq then close out the group-stage schedule on the 29th, a match that could decide everything.
The draw placed Saudi Arabia in Group One with Kuwait, Oman and Iraq. Group Two brings together Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and Yemen, setting up a potentially fierce knockout phase.
Donis has made his choices. Now the question hangs over Jeddah: will this bold reshaping of the Green Falcons ignite a new chapter, or leave Saudi Arabia exposed on home soil?
