Georgios Donis Names Squad for Gulf Cup 27 in Jeddah

Georgios Donis has wasted no time putting his stamp on Saudi Arabia.

The Greek head coach named his squad for the Gulf Cup “Gulf 27” in Jeddah on Monday, and the omissions hit harder than the inclusions. National captain Salem Al-Dawsari is out. So is Roma defender Saud Abdulhamid. Both were on the plane to the recent World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Neither will be on the team sheet when the Green Falcons open their campaign on home soil.

They are not alone.

Ahmed Al-Kassar, Ali Majrashi, Ali Lajami, Ayman Yahya, Saleh Al-Shehri and Khalid Al-Ghannam have all been cut as well, making it eight World Cup players left out of the Gulf 27 squad. For a team that has leaned heavily on a familiar core in recent years, it marks a clear break with the past.

Donis has turned to fresh legs and new ideas.

Eight players receive call-ups: 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, this is an opening. For the established names watching from home, a warning.

According to the Saudi national team’s account on X, the final list for the tournament stands at 26 players:

Goalkeepers

Mohammed Al-Owais
Nawaf Al-Aqidi
Hamed Al-Shanqiti

Defenders

Abdulelah Al-Amri
Jihad Zikri
Rayan Hamed
Hassan Kadesh
Hassan Tambakti
Nawaf Boushal
Mohammed Mahzari
Mutaib Al-Harbi
Zakaria Hawsawi

Midfielders

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

Forwards

Abdullah Al-Hamdan
Firas Al-Buraikan
Abdullah Al-Salem

It is a squad that blends a few familiar pillars with a wave of hopefuls trying to force their way into Donis’ long-term plans.

The setting adds weight. Gulf 27 will be staged in Jeddah from 23 September to 6 October, with Saudi Arabia carrying the expectations of a host nation eager to see a response after the World Cup. Every selection, every omission, will be judged through that lens.

The schedule offers no easing-in period. Saudi Arabia open against Kuwait on 23 September at Al-Inma Stadium in King Abdullah Sports City. Oman await on 26 September. Iraq close out the group-stage run on the 29th. Three games, six days, and no room for hesitation.

The draw has placed the Green Falcons in Group One with Kuwait, Oman and Iraq. Group Two brings together Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and Yemen, setting up the possibility of heavyweight clashes later in the tournament if Saudi Arabia navigate their way through.

For Donis, this is more than just a regional competition. It is a first real test of authority, a chance to reshape a team in front of its own fans, under the lights in Jeddah, with some of the country’s biggest names watching from the outside.

The message is clear: reputations no longer guarantee a place. The question now is whether this bolder, younger Saudi Arabia can turn that statement into silverware.