BANGKOK, May 30: Kuwait's national team coach, Rui Pinto, has added Salmiya club player Moaz Al-Asmaa to the Kuwait squad, replacing Al-Arabi striker Salman Al-Awadi.

According to Kuwait national team director Abdul Rahman Al-Mousa, the Asian Football Confederation's Disciplinary Committee rejected the Kuwaiti Federation’s appeal regarding striker Salman Al-Awadi’s participation in the matches against India and Afghanistan in the joint Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in the United States and the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. Al-Awadi received a red card during the AFC U-23 Cup match against Malaysia in Qatar last March and April.

Al-Asmaa, who impressed with his performance last season for Al-Salmiya, has gained the trust of the national team’s technical staff. He is expected to join the team's training today or tomorrow at their camp in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Kuwait national team continues its training at the STB Stadium in Bangkok as part of its preparatory camp, which began last Wednesday. They will leave for Calcutta next week to face the Indian national team on Thursday in the fifth round of the first group competitions of the joint Asian qualifiers. They will then return to host Afghanistan on June 11 in the sixth and final round. The group also includes the Qatari national team.

Kuwait currently holds fourth place in the first-group standings with 3 points. The Qatari team leads with 12 points, followed by India and Afghanistan, each with 4 points but separated by goal difference.

Khaled El Anzi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff