Latest news with #JuanAntonioPizzi
Arab Times
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
Kuwait eyes consolation win over South Korea
KUWAIT CITY, June 9: Kuwait is aiming for its first victory in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers when it faces South Korea today at 2:00 PM (Kuwait time) at the World Cup Stadium in Seoul, in the final and tenth round of Group B. The Blues currently sit in sixth and last place in the group with five points, earned from five draws and four losses. In contrast, South Korea has already secured top spot with 19 points, followed by Jordan, which qualified for the World Cup for the first time in history after finishing second with 15 points. Iraq (12 points), Oman (10), and Palestine (9) round out the group standings. Kuwait was officially eliminated from qualification in the previous round after suffering a 2-0 home loss to Palestine. Now, it aims to conclude their campaign with a positive result, despite its dream of returning to the World Cup after 43 years, coming to an end—its only appearance was in Spain 1982. Head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi is seeking his first win in the qualifiers and his second overall victory since taking charge last July. His only win so far came against the UAE in the 26th Gulf Cup, hosted in Kuwait last December. Kuwait will be without Mohammed Daham and Khaled Al-Rashidi due to yellow card accumulation. The availability of striker Yousef Nasser remains uncertain after an injury sustained against Palestine. In addition, Eid Al-Rashidi has withdrawn from the squad for personal reasons. To compensate, Pizzi has called up goalkeeper Ahmed Adi (Al-Fahaheel) and striker Talal Al-Qaisi (Kazma). Despite these absences, hopes remain for a strong showing, especially as South Korea is expected to field a young lineup, according to their coaching staff. Pizzi still has a solid core of players to rely on, including: Fahad Al-Hajri, Mishari Ghannam, Reda Hani, Ahmed Al-Zanki, Ahmed Al-Dhafiri, Rashed Al-Dosari, Jassim Al-Matar, Mubarak Al-Fanini, Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi, Hassan Hamdan, Mohammed Khaled, Hussein Ashkanani, Yousef Majed, Hamad Harbi, Abdulrahman Al-Rashidi, Mahdi Dashti, Moaz Al-Asima, and Fawaz Ayed.
Arab Times
04-06-2025
- General
- Arab Times
Kuwait's World Cup dreams are on the line against Palestine
KUWAIT CITY, June 4: Kuwait will raise the slogan of 'Victory Only' when it hosts Palestine at 9:15 pm at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, in the ninth round of Group B of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. While victory is essential, it won't be enough for Kuwait to maintain hopes of reaching the Asian play-off stage. The team must also defeat South Korea in the final round next Tuesday in Seoul, and hope Oman loses both of its remaining matches. Currently, Kuwait sits at the bottom of the group standings with 5 points, behind South Korea (16), Jordan (13), Iraq (12), Oman (10), and Palestine (6). Head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi has included 26 players in the squad for tonight's match. The roster features: Saud Al-Hoshan, Fahad Al-Hajri, Meshari Ghannam, Reda Hani, Ahmed Al-Zanki, Ahmed Al-Dhafiri, Mohammed Daham, Yousef Nasser, Khaled Al-Rashidi, Rashid Al-Dosari, Moaz Al-Dhafiri, Jassim Al-Matar, Mubarak Al-Fenini, Khaled Sabah, Suleiman Abdul-Ghafoor, Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi, Hassan Hamdan, Mohammed Khaled, Hussein Ashkanani, Yousef Majed, Hamad Harbi, Abdulrahman Al-Rashidi, Mahdi Dashti, Moaz Al-Asima, and Fawaz Ayed. Since taking charge last July, Pizzi has yet to register a win with Kuwait, having drawn five matches and lost three in the qualifiers. He hopes to secure his first victory tonight and keep his qualification hopes alive. He's also demanding full focus and discipline from the players, especially after increasing the intensity in recent training sessions and addressing past defensive errors. On the other side, Palestine, coached by Ihab Abu Jazar, is full of confidence after its surprise 2-1 comeback win over Iraq. Abu Jazar is aiming for his second win in the qualifiers. The team has been training in Doha since mid-May, and the coach will rely on key players, including: Uday Al-Dabbagh (Aberdeen) Wissam Abu Ali (Al-Ahly) Ahmed Al-Qaq (North Carolina) Mohammed Ahbous (Al-Ansar) Kuwait's final training session, scheduled at Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, was canceled due to a dust storm that raised health concerns for the players. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) appointed a Tajik refereeing team for tonight's match: Sadullo Gulmuradi (Referee) Hasan Karimov and Farkhad Karilov (Assistant referees) Abdul Davalitov (Fourth official) VAR officials: Mohammed Obaid and Yahya Al Mulla from the UAE By Khaled Al-Enezi
Arab Times
03-06-2025
- General
- Arab Times
Kuwait concludes preparations for must-win World Cup qualifier against Palestine
KUWAIT CITY, June 3: Kuwait concludes its training this evening at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, ahead of its crucial clash against Palestine tomorrow in the ninth round of Group B of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, set to take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Kuwait began a training camp yesterday that will continue before traveling to Seoul this Friday to face South Korea in the tenth and final round of the qualifiers next Tuesday. Led by Argentine coach Juan Antonio Pizzi, the national team is determined to secure victories in both upcoming matches to keep its slim hopes of advancing to the playoffs alive. However, qualification is also dependent on Oman losing its two remaining matches, making Kuwait's path extremely difficult. Currently, Kuwait sits sixth and last in Group B with five points, while South Korea tops the table with 16, followed by Jordan (13), Iraq (12), Oman (10), and Palestine (6). Coach Pizzi has been steadily raising the intensity of training to bring players to peak performance levels. The technical staff has emphasized focus and minimizing errors while implementing some rotations due to recent changes in the squad compared to the lineup from last March's qualifiers. A pre-match press conference will be held today, today at noon at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, featuring the head coaches and a player from each team. The press conference will follow the technical coordination meeting scheduled for 11:00 AM at the same venue. The Kuwait Football Association began selling tickets for the match earlier this week and is urging fans to show up in large numbers. Fan support will be critical, as the team clings to a last chance at qualification, despite the difficulty of the task. Meanwhile, the Palestine national team held its second training session at Thamer Stadium, home of Al-Salmiya Club, and will conduct its final training tonight at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium. The Palestinian delegation also honored striker Wissam Abu Ali for winning the Egyptian Premier League title with Al-Ahly, celebrating his achievement ahead of the pivotal qualifier.
Arab Times
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
Kuwait needs back-to-back wins to keep World Cup hopes alive
KUWAIT CITY, May 31: The Kuwait national football team will kick off its training camp at 7:30 pm today at Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, in preparation for two critical 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Palestine and South Korea, scheduled for June 5 and 10, respectively. Head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi has called up Al-Salmiya's Fawaz Ayed to replace injured Al-Qadisiya player Abdulaziz Wadi, who sustained an injury during the semi-final of His Highness the Amir's Cup against Kuwait Club last Thursday. Pizzi has named a 26-man squad for the upcoming fixtures, which includes: Saud Al-Hoshan, Mishari Ghannam, Fahad Al-Hajri, Mohammed Daham, Reda Hani, Ahmed Al-Dhafiri, Ahmed Al-Zanki, Yousef Nasser, Khaled Al-Rashidi, Moaz Al-Dhafiri, Eid Al-Rashidi, Mubarak Al-Fenini, Jassim Al-Matar, Khaled Sabah, Rashid Al-Dosari, Suleiman Abdul-Ghafoor, Hassan Hamdan, Mohammed Khaled, Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi, Hussein Ashkanani, Yousef Majed, Moaz Al-Aseema, Mahdi Dashti, Hamad Harbi, and Abdulrahman Al-Rashidi. Kuwait currently sits sixth in Group B with 5 points from eight matches, having drawn five. South Korea leads the group with 16 points, followed by Jordan (13), Iraq (12), Oman (10), and Palestine (6). To keep qualification hopes alive, Kuwait must win both upcoming matches and hope for Oman to drop points in the final two rounds.
Arab Times
13-03-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
Kuwait to test readiness against China
DUBAI, March 13: Kuwait will play China in a friendly match this Friday at 8:30 p.m. at Al Maktoum Stadium, Al Nasr Club, as part of its training camp in Dubai, UAE. The match is preparation for Kuwait's upcoming Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, where it will face Iraq and Oman on March 20 and 25, respectively, in Group B. Head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi aims to assess the readiness of his squad before traveling to Basra. He will also test new call-ups to evaluate their ability to integrate into the team and perform their roles effectively. Pizzi has named a 28-player roster for the camp: Goalkeepers: Saud Al-Hoshan, Khaled Al-Rashidi, Suleiman Abdul-Ghafoor Defenders: Fahad Al-Hajri, Sami Al-Sanea, Mohammed Daham, Reda Hani, Moaz Al-Dhafiri, Khaled Ibrahim, Eid Al-Rashidi, Jassim Al-Matar, Mubarak Al-Fenini, Hassan Hamdan, Mohammed Khaled, Khaled Al-Marshad, Salman Al-Awadhi Midfielders: Hussein Ashkanani, Ali Khalaf, Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, Moaz Al-Aseema, Fawaz Ayed, Hamad Al-Harbi, Fawaz Mubailesh, Salman Burmiah, Sultan Al-Enezi Forwards: Yousef Nasser, Ahmed Al-Dhafiri, Ahmed Al-Zanki (replacing the injured Meshari Ghannam) Kuwait may be without several players from Al-Qadsiya and Al-Arabi, as they had been unavailable since the camp began on March 9 due to club commitments in the Gulf Champions League and AFC Challenge League, respectively. However, they rejoined the squad in the past after both teams advanced in their respective tournaments.
