RIYADH, July 18: Italian coach Roberto Mancini, leading the Saudi national team, has opted to call up Nawaf Al-Aqidi, goalkeeper for Al-Nasr, following the expiration of his suspension. Meanwhile, former Al-Hilal captain Salman Al-Faraj remains excluded from the squad.

Mancini sparked controversy in January when he confirmed the dissent of six players, including Nawaf Al-Aqidi and Salman Al-Faraj, who declined to join the national team for the 2023 Asian Nations Cup. Al-Aqidi received a severe punishment of a five-month suspension and a 300,000 Saudi riyal fine, while Al-Faraj was fined 100,000 riyals.

With Al-Aqidi's suspension ending earlier this July, Mancini has included him in the preliminary squad ahead of the third round of 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The Saudi national team competes in Group Three against Indonesia, Australia, Japan, China, and Bahrain.

The team will face Indonesia on September 5 and China on September 10. Mancini's preliminary squad includes Al-Aqidi and his Al-Nasr teammate Sultan Al-Ghannam. However, Al-Faraj, who has been absent from international duty since the dissent incident, has not been called up.

Reports indicate that Al-Aqidi is now eligible to play for the national team and his absence from the Portugal camp was due to passport issues, which are expected to be resolved soon. Previously, Mancini had also summoned Al-Ghannam, who was fined 200,000 riyals in connection with the dissent, to the final team camp for matches against Pakistan and Jordan in the second round of qualifiers.