The national team will enter its closed training camp on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi on Saturday morning, in preparation for the fifth and sixth rounds of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup against Kyrgyzstan and Qatar on November 14 and 19, respectively. The technical staff announced a list of 27 players for the current gathering, which includes two new faces, Fares Khalil, a defender from Al Wasl, and Hamad Al-Maqbali, a goalkeeper from Al Ahli's youth team. The list also includes the return of Junior N'Diaye, a professional player in Montpellier, France, and Yahya Nader and Khalid Al-Hassani, who were prepared to join the team after missing the October gathering. The list includes Khaled Isa, Hamad Al-Maqbali, Ali Khaseif, and Adel Mohamed as goalkeepers, as well as 8 defenders, including Mohamed Al-Attiyah, Khalid Al-Hassani, Kwoami, Khalifa Al-Hamadi, Zayed Sultan, Khalid Al-Zahani, Fares Khalil, Abdullah Edris, and 12 midfielders, including Majed Rashed, Yahya Nader, McKenzie Hunt, Mohamed Abbas, Thani Al-Zaabi, Osama Fawzi, Marcus Meloni, Yahya Al-Ghassani, Harib Abdullah, Ali Saleh, Fabio Lima, Fahd Bader, and Bruno Oliveira, Kayo Canedo, and Junior N'Diaye. The players will undergo medical checks on Saturday morning, after being given time to rest following the end of their continental commitments. The team will start training on Saturday evening at the New York University stadium, ahead of the first match against Kyrgyzstan on November 14 at the Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, with the list expected to be reduced to 26 players. The technical staff, led by Pinto, is relying on the players called up, as they maintain the same lineup that represents the team in the upcoming matches, in the hope of increasing cohesion and harmony among all players. Pinto is using this preparation period to bring the team to a technical readiness to face the two crucial matches against Kyrgyzstan and Qatar, where the team needs to win both matches to keep their chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The national team is currently third in the group with 4 points, from a win, a draw, and two losses, and needs 6 points from the current gathering to jump in the standings and compete for a spot in the World Cup.
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