The NT women's arrives in Cambodia to prepare for the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers

2025-06-27
19:00:41

The Saudi women's national team arrived in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, yesterday, Thursday, to prepare for the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers.

This historic participation marks the team's first official appearance in the continental qualifiers.

The team's competition will begin on Sunday, June 29, against the Philippines in a group that includes Hong Kong and Cambodia, reflecting the significant progress of Saudi women's football.

This participation follows an intensive ten-day training camp in the Thai capital, Bangkok, under the supervision of Spanish coach Luis Cortes.

The technical staff focused on developing technical, physical, and tactical aspects, and ensured an ideal training environment to prepare the players for the upcoming challenges.

The technical staff selected the final list of 23 players, which included: Sarah Khaled, Mona Abdulrahman, Laila Ali, Raghad Mukhaizin, Lian Johari, Nouf Saud, Hala Khashoggi, Farida Ashraf, Shorouq Al-Husawi, Bayan Sedqa, Lana Abdulrazzaq, Sarah Al-Hamad, Maryam Al-Tamimi, Basma Nawaf, Moudi Abdulmohsen, Maram Al-Yahya, Saba Tawfiq, Amira Abu Al-Samh, Fadwa Khaled, Fatima Mansour, Al-Bandari Mubarak, Safa Qaddour, and Shaima Mahmoud.

Alia bint Abdulaziz Al-Rashid, Director of the Women's Football Department at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), expressed the importance of this stage, saying, "We are at an important milestone in the history of the women's national team. This is our first participation in the AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifiers, and it represents a major step towards raising the level of Saudi women's football and achieving our ambitions in continental and international competitions."

The team will compete after facing the Philippines with a match against Hong Kong on July 2 and will conclude its journey against Cambodia on July 5.

It's worth noting that this participation comes as part of ongoing efforts supported by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation to develop women's national teams and provide them with all the necessary resources to achieve positive results on the Asian and international stage.