• The Saudi Arabia men's team arrives for the 2026 World Cup at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on June 01, 2026 in Austin, Texas. AFP
    The Saudi Arabia men's team arrives for the 2026 World Cup at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on June 01, 2026 in Austin, Texas. AFP
  • Al Ula goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais disembarks with the rest of the Saudi Arabia men's team at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. AFP
    Al Ula goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais disembarks with the rest of the Saudi Arabia men's team at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. AFP
  • Saudi Arabia head coach Georgios Donis. AFP
    Saudi Arabia head coach Georgios Donis. AFP
  • Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais speaks to media during the arrival for the 2026 World Cup at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. AFP
    Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais speaks to media during the arrival for the 2026 World Cup at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. AFP
  • Al Qadsiah defender Jehad Thakri at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport with the rest of the Saudi Arabia World Cup team. AFP
    Al Qadsiah defender Jehad Thakri at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport with the rest of the Saudi Arabia World Cup team. AFP
  • Defender Hassan Kadish, who plays his club football with Al Ittihad, arrives in Austin with the rest of the Saudi Arabia World Cup team. AFP
    Defender Hassan Kadish, who plays his club football with Al Ittihad, arrives in Austin with the rest of the Saudi Arabia World Cup team. AFP
  • AUSTIN, TEXAS - JUNE 01: Saleh Alshehri of the Saudi Arabia men's team arrives for FIFA 2026 World Cup at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on June 01, 2026 in Austin, Texas. Jack Gorman / Getty Images / AFP (Photo by Jack Gorman / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
    AUSTIN, TEXAS - JUNE 01: Saleh Alshehri of the Saudi Arabia men's team arrives for FIFA 2026 World Cup at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on June 01, 2026 in Austin, Texas. Jack Gorman / Getty Images / AFP (Photo by Jack Gorman / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
  • Moteb Al Harbi, a defender for Al Hilal and the Saudi Arabian national team, greets an official at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. AFP
    Moteb Al Harbi, a defender for Al Hilal and the Saudi Arabian national team, greets an official at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. AFP
  • Khalid Alghannam of Al Ettifaq and the Saudi Arabia men's team at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. AFP
    Khalid Alghannam of Al Ettifaq and the Saudi Arabia men's team at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. AFP

Saudi Arabia team arrive in Austin ahead of 2026 World Cup


Steve Luckings
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The Saudi Arabia national team arrived at their base in Austin, Texas on Monday to begin their 2026 World Cup preparations.

Head coach Georgios Donis and his 26-man squad touched down at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport with their opening World Cup assignment just two weeks away.

The Green Falcons take on Uruguay in their Group H opener in Miami on June 15 (June 16 in UAE), before facing tournament favourites Spain in Atlanta (June 21) and Cape Verde in Houston (June 27). Ahead of those matches, Saudi Arabia will play Senegal in a friendly on June 10.

Saudi Arabia qualified for a seventh World Cup via an exhausting process in Asia. After finishing second behind Jordan in a group that also included Tajikistan and Pakistan, they entered a tough pool for the third round of qualifying.

They finished a distance behind automatic qualifiers Japan and Australia and thus had to enter a fourth round.

That involved a three-team play-off which – fortunately for them – was held in Jeddah. Playing on home soil, they made it to the World Cup via a 3-2 win over Indonesia and a 0-0 draw with Iraq.

Updated: June 02, 2026, 6:35 AM