Saudi U-17 football team faces Qatar in friendly ahead of World Cup

Saudi Arabia’s under-17 football team will play a friendly match on Thursday as part of their training camp in Qatar, held in preparation for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

The team will take on hosts Qatar at 6:30 p.m. at the Saheem bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.

On Wednesday evening, the squad held a training session under the supervision of head coach Ahmed Al-Hanboush and his staff, focusing on fitness drills followed by tactical exercises, and concluding with set-piece practice.

Also on Wednesday, the players attended a refereeing workshop led by FIFA instructor Ali Al-Turaifi, with the participation of Abdulrahman Al-Omari, vice chairman of the Saudi Football Federation’s referees committee, and referee instructor Marai Al-Awaji. The session covered recent updates to the Laws of the Game and explained the Football Video Support (FVS) system to be used at the U-17 World Cup.

Saudi Arabia’s U-17 team is in Group D at the 2026 World Cup, alongside France, Uruguay, and Haiti.