ISLAMABAD: The Saudi Arabian football team arrived in Pakistan for the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad, here on Wednesday.
The team departed from Riyadh to Islamabad on a chartered flight accompanied by renowned manager Roberto Mancini and assistant coach Yaya Toure.
At Islamabad International Airport, Pakistani officials and Saudi Arabian Ambassador Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Maliki welcomed the squad.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia was forced to postpone the visit to Pakistan. They were supposed to leave for Islamabad two days before the match, but it was later changed to one day due to the absence of suitable training grounds and the bad condition of the Jinnah Stadium.
Meanwhile, Pakistan announced their squad for the tournament on Tuesday. Pakistan football team will get the services of 18-year-old striker McKeal Abdullah during the highly anticipated competition.
Abdullah plays for Mansfield Town, a team that competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. However, the club will participate in EFL League One in the 2024–25 season after gaining promotion.
However, Blackburn Rovers U21 goalkeeper Adam Khan, who was also called up for the camp, was left out of the final squad.
Meanwhile, star winger Otis Khan and left back Mohammad Fazal have also returned to the Pakistani team.
However, captain and star defender Easah Suliman will not be available as he is going on the annual Islamic Hajj.
Pakistan are at the bottom of Group G as they have lost all four matches they have played so far. Pakistan opened their tour with a 4-0 defeat by Saudi Arabia in Al-Ahsa in November, followed by a 6-1 defeat by Tajikistan in Islamabad in the same month.
Jordan then defeated Pakistan 3-0 in a Ramadan game in Islamabad and the Shaheens also lost the reverse match 7-0 at the Oman International Stadium.
After the match against Saudi Arabia, Pakistan will face Tajikistan in their final group match in the second round of FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
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