Saudi Arabia‘s World Cup squad preparations have been dealt an unexpected blow after defender Saud Abdulhamid’s passport was stolen during a break-in in Amsterdam, delaying his crucial arrival at the national team’s training camp.
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) confirmed the incident on Monday, stating the player would arrive late.
The unfortunate event occurred while Abdulhamid was in Amsterdam with his family for his wedding ceremony.
“The player was unable to travel to Riyadh today as scheduled after his private vehicle was broken into in Amsterdam, where he was with his family for his wedding ceremony. The incident resulted in the loss of personal belongings, including his passport,” the SAFF statement detailed.
The federation is now working closely with authorities to resolve the issue swiftly.
“The Saudi Arabian Football Federation is coordinating with the Ministry of Sport to follow up on the investigation and is also working with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Netherlands to issue the necessary documents to enable the player to join the squad,” the statement added.
Abdulhamid, who is currently on loan at French side RC Lens from Italy’s AS Roma, has been named in newly appointed coach Georgios Donis’s 30-man preliminary squad.
The national team has already travelled to the United States for training camps in New York and Texas, where they are scheduled to play friendlies against Ecuador, Puerto Rico, and Senegal as part of their final preparations.
Saudi Arabia is set to compete in Group H at the upcoming World Cup, where they will face Spain, Uruguay, and Cape Verde.
Group H of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 15 to 26, 2026.
Scheduled from June 11 to July 19, the quadrennial soccer tournament will be held in 16 host cities across the U.S., Mexico and Canada, where 48 teams will play a record-setting 104 matches. According to FIFA, five million tickets have already been sold.
