Saudi Arabia Completes Final Prep for 2026 World Cup

Saudi Arabia's men's national team has completed its final preparations ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage, using Austin, Texas, as its primary training hub before moving into match-specific work in the United States.

Prior to the tournament, the team held a final preparation camp in New York City, training at the New York City FC training center with sessions that included warm-ups, ball-possession drills, and tactical exercises. In the immediate lead-up to their opener, the squad carried out a final session at the Inter Miami CF facilities in Fort Lauderdale, focusing on match-specific tactical work.

Saudi Arabia is placed in Group H and begins its campaign against Uruguay in Miami on June 15, followed by a meeting with Spain at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on June 21. The build-up program was organized in multiple phases, spanning domestic and overseas camps in Jeddah, Doha, Serbia, New York, and several U.S. cities, with friendly matches at each stage against Egypt, Serbia, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, and Senegal.

A domestic-league backbone

The 30-man World Cup squad was announced with 28 players drawn from clubs in the Roshn Saudi League, underscoring an emphasis on home-grown talent. The technical staff ran an early, data-driven preparation program that started with an extended pool of around 80 domestic-league players, included club visits to coordinate physical, nutritional, and recovery plans, and closely monitored fitness, sleep, and nutrition to maximize readiness.

Final pre-group-stage sessions were partially open to media for the first 15 minutes, with the remainder held as closed tactical work, particularly in the New York and Miami stages. Training in the last phase combined warm-ups, possession drills, tactical shape work, practice games, and recovery routines aimed at reducing injury risk. For fans across the Kingdom, the campaign offers a chance to rally behind a squad built largely on local-league players stepping onto the world's biggest stage.

---

Stay updated with the latest news, events, sports updates, business insights, real estate and lifestyle stories on Saudi Living — the leading online platform for residents, expats, and visitors in Saudi Arabia.

Follow Saudi Living for daily updates:

• Instagram - @saudiliving
• X - @saudiliving
• Facebook - @saudiliving
• YouTube - @saudiliving