RIYADH — Winger Nawaf Al Abed has been left out of Saudi Arabia's squad for the World Cup finals as Juan Antonio Pizzi's side finalize preparations for their first appearance at the tournament since 2006.
Al Abed, a key member of the squad during qualifying and who was instrumental in Al Hilal reaching the 2017 Asian Champions League final, has struggled with injury since the turn of the year and the 28-year-old failed to make it into Pizzi's final 23-man selection.
Goalkeeper Assaf Qarny, defenders Saeed Al Mowalad and Mohammed Jahfali, and midfielder Mohammed Al Kuwaykibi were also cut from a 28-man preliminary squad named last month.
Argentinian Pizzi has included Fahad Al Muwallad, Yahya Al Shehri and Salem Al Dawsari after the trio spent four months on loan in Spain with Levante, Leganes and Villarreal before returning to their parent clubs.
Saudi Arabia's squad are all currently contracted to clubs in the country's domestic league, with 10 on the books of back-to-back Saudi Premier League champions Al Hilal. A further seven play for Jeddah's Al Ahli, who won the title in 2016.
Goalkeepers: Mohammed Al Owais (Al Ahli), Yasser Al Mosailem (Al Ahli), Abdullah Al Mayouf (Al Hilal)
Defenders: Mansoor Al Harbi (Al Ahli), Yasser Al Shahrani (Al Hilal) Mohammed Al Breik (Al Hilal), Motaz Hawsawi (Al Ahli), Osama Hawsawi (Al Hilal), Omar Hawsawi (Al Nassr), Ali Al Bulaihi (Al Hilal)
Midfielders: Abdullah Al Khaibari (Al Shabab), Abdulmalek Al Khaibri (Al Hilal), Abdullah Otayf (Al Hilal), Taiseer Al Jassim (Al Ahli), Houssain Al Mogahwi (Al Ahli), Salman Al Faraj, Mohamed Kanno (both Al Hilal), Hattan Bahebri (Al Shabab), Salem Al Dawsari (Al Hilal), Yahya Al Shehri (Al Nassr), Fahad Al Muwallad (Al Ittihad)
Forwards: Mohammad Al Sahlawi (Al Nassr), Muhannad Assiri (Al Ahli).
Mohamed Salah included
In Cairo, Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah was included Monday in Egypt's 2018 World Cup squad despite still underdoing treatment for a shoulder injury he suffered in the Champions League final, the Egyptian Football Association said.
Salah has undergone treatment in Valencia, Spain, in the hope of playing a role in Egypt's first appearance in the World Cup since 1990. On Wednesday, the federation had said Salah would be out for "not more" than three weeks, meaning he could miss Egypt's opening World Cup Group A fixture against Uruguay on June 15.
Goalkeepers: Essam El Hadary (Al Taawoun/KSA), Mohamed El Shenawy (Al Ahly), Sherif Ekramy (Al Ahly)
Defenders: Ahmed Fathi (Al Ahly), Saad Samir (Al Ahly), Ayman Ashraf (Al Ahly), Ahmed Hegazi (West Bromwich Albion/ENG), Ali Gabr (West Bromwich Albion/ENG), Ahmed Elmohamady (Aston Villa/ENG), Mohamed Abdel-Shafi (Al Fateh/KSA), Omar Gaber (Los Angeles/USA), Mahmoud Hamdy (Zamalek)
Midfielders: Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal/ENG), Tarek Hamed (Zamalek), Sam Morsy (Wigan/ENG), Mahmoud Abdel Razek (Al Raed/KSA), Abdallah El Said (Al Ahly), Mahmoud Hassan (Kasimpasa/TUR), Ramadan Sobhi (Stoke City/ENG), Amr Warda (Atromitos/GRE), Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim (Al Ittihad/KSA)
Forwards: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool/ENG), Marwan Mohsen (Al Ahly)
France squad unchanged
In Paris, France formally submitted their 23-man squad for the World Cup on Monday, making no changes from the group named in mid-May. None of the original 23 have been replaced by anyone on Didier Deschamps' stand by list.
Several top stars failed to make the cut at all, with Manchester United's Anthony Martial, Arsenal's Alexandre Lacazette and Real Madrid's Karim Benzema all omitted from the 23.
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Alphonse Areola (Paris Saint-Germain)
Defenders: Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint-Germain), Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City/ENG), Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart/GER), Adil Rami (Marseille), Djibril Sidibe (Monaco), Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona/ESP), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid/ESP)
Midfielders: N'Golo Kante (Chelsea/ENG), Blaise Matuidi (Juventus/ITA), Steven N'Zonzi (Sevilla/ESP), Paul Pogba (Manchester United/ENG), Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich/GER)
Forwards: Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona/ESP), Nabil Fekir (Lyon), Olivier Giroud (Chelsea/ENG), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Thomas Lemar (Monaco), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Florian Thauvin (Marseille)
Neuer in, Sane left out
In Berlin, Germany have included 2014 World Cup-winning goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in their final squad for the 2018 tournament, even though he has only just returned from a long-term absence through injury.
But coach Joachim Loew omitted Manchester City striker Leroy Sane from his 23-player list despite a strong season with the Premier League champions. Bayern Munich goalkeeper Neuer made his first appearance since September in the 2-1 defeat by Austria in a friendly on Saturday.
Sane was cut from the squad with Timo Werner and the veteran Mario Gomez included as just two out-and-out strikers.
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre Ter Stegen (Barcelona/ESP), Kevin Trapp (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA)
Defenders: Marvin Plattenhardt (Hertha Berlin), Jonas Hector (Cologne), Matthias Ginter (Moenchengladbach), Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich), Niklas Suele (Bayern Munich), Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea/ENG), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
Midfielders: Sami Khedira (Juventus/ITA), Julian Draxler (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid/ESP), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal/ENG), Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich), Sebastian Rudy (Bayern Munich), Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City/ENG), Leon Goretzka (Schalke 04), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund)
Forwards: Timo Werner (RB Leipzig), Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart)
Injured Bendtner misses out
Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner, injured in a Norwegian league game, did not make the country's final 23-man squad for the World Cup in Russia. Bendtner, 30, hobbled off the field in tears on May 27 after hurting a thigh playing for Rosenborg.
Defender Andreas Bjelland, who plays for Brentford in the English Championship, also missed out because of an injury.
Goalkeepers: Frederik Ronnow (Brondby/DEN), Jonas Lossl (Huddersfield/ENG), Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City/ENG)
Defenders: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea/ENG), Henrik Dalsgaard (Brentford/ENG), Jannik Vestergaard (Borussia Moenchengladbach/GER), Jens Stryger Larsen (Udinese/ITA), Jonas Knudsen (Ipswich/ENG), Mathias Jorgensen (Huddersfield/ENG), Simon Kjaer (Sevilla/ESP)
Midfield: Christian Eriksen (Tottenham/ENG), Lasse Schoene (Ajax/NED), Lukas Lerager (Bordeaux/FRA), Michael Krohn-Dehli (Deportivo La Coruna/ESP), Thomas Delaney (Werder Bremen/GER), William Vitved Kvist (FC Copenhagen/DEN)
Attaquants: Andreas Cornelius (Atalanta/ITA), Kasper Dolberg (Ajax/NED), Martin Braithwaite (Bordeaux/DEN on loan from Middlesbrough/ENG), Nicolai Jorgensen (Feyenoord/NED), Pione Sisto (Celta Vigo/ESP), Viktor Fischer (FC Copenhagen/DEN), Yussuf Yurary Poulsen (RB Leipzig/GER)
Peru names final 23
Freed from his doping ban, Peru's captain and main goalscorer Paolo Guerrero was on Monday included in the country's pared-down World Cup squad at the expense of midfielder Sergio Pena.
Apart from the 34-year-old icon, the squad named by Ricardo Gareca, will also need a spark from another veteran attacker Jefferson Farfan, a 33-year-old who made a name for himself at PSV Eindhoven and Schalke and now plays in Russia for Lokomotiv Moscow.
Goalkeepers: Pedro Gallese (Veracruz/MEX), Jose Carvallo (UTC), Carlos Caceda (Municipal)
Defenders: Luis Advincula (Lobos/MEX), Miguel Araujo (Alianza Lima), Aldo Corzo (Universitario), Nilson Loyola (Melgar), Christian Ramos (Veracruz/MEX), Alberto Rodríguez (Junior/COL), Anderson Santamaria (Puebla/MEX), Miguel Trauco (Flamengo/BRA)
Midfielders: Pedro Aquino (Lobos/MEX), Wilmer Cartagena (Veracruz/MEX), Christian Cueva (Sao Paulo/BRA), Edison Flores (Aalborg/DEN), Paolo Hurtado (Vitoria Guimaraes/POR), Andy Polo (Portland Timbers/USA), Renato Tapia (Feyernoord/NED), Yoshimar Yotun (Orlando City/USA)
Attackers: Andre Carrillo (Watford/ENG), Raul Ruidiaz (Morelia/MEX), Jefferson Farfan (Lokomotiv/RUS), Paolo Guerrero (Flamengo/BRA)
Croatia cuts one player
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic, who had named one extra player for his provisional World Cup squad, on Monday announced that defender Matej Mitovic was the man being dropped. Mitrovic had not played for Belgian champions Club Brugge since April 19 and Dalic said that was one of the reasons the defender was cut.
The Croatia squad is led by international stars Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic, but on Sunday it lost a warmup game, 2-0, to Brazil in Liverpool.
Goalkeepers: Danijel Subasic (Monaco/FRA), Lovre Kalinic (Gent/BEL), Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb)
Defenders: Vedran Corluka (Lokomotiv Moscow/RUS), Domagoj Vida (Besiktas/TUR), Ivan Strinic (Sampdoria/ITA), Dejan Lovren (Liverpool/ENG), Sime Vrsaljko (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Josip Pivaric (Dinamo Kiev/UKR), Tin Jedvaj (Bayer Leverkusen/GER), Duje Caleta-Car (Salzburg/AUT)
Midfielders: Luka Modric (Real Madrid/ESP), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona/ESP), Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid/ESP), Milan Badelj (Fiorentina/ITA), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan/ITA), Filip Bradaric (Rijeka)
Forwards: Mario Mandzukic (Juventus/ITA), Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan/ITA), Nikola Kalinic (AC Milan/ITA), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim/GER), Marko Pjaca (Schalke/GER), Ante Rebic (Eintracht/GER)
Morocco drop defender
Coach Herve Renard made one switch to his provisional squad on Monday when he brought Malaga striker Youssef En-Nesyri into Morocco's final World Cup 23. The 21-year-old Malaga forward was a backup on the original list but he has taken the place of Badr Benoun, a 24-year-old defender with Raja de Casablanca.
Renard dropped another backup, Noussair Mazraoui of Ajax, but kept Oualid El Hajjam, a defender with Amiens in France, as a reserve, leaving him a squad of 24. The list only contains two players from Morocco's domestic league.
Goalkeepers: Mounir El Kajoui (Numancia/ESP), Yassine Bounou (Girona/ESP), Ahmad Reda Tagnaouti (Ittihad Tanger)
Defenders: Medhi Benatia (Juventus/ITA), Romain Saiss (Wolves/ENG), Manuel Da Costa (Istanbul Basaksehir/TUR), Nabil Dirar (Fenerbahce/TUR), Achraf Hakimi (Real Madrid/ESP), Hamza Mendyl (Lille/FRA)
Midfielders: M'barek Boussoufa (Al Jazira/UAE), Karim El Ahmadi (Feyenoord/NED), Youssef Ait Bennasser (Caen/FRA), Sofyan Amrabat (Feyenoord/NED), Younes Belhanda (Galatasaray/TUR), Faycal Fajr (Getafe/ESP), Amine Harit (Schalke/GER)
Forwards: Khalid Boutaib (Yeni Malatyaspor/TUR), Aziz Bouhaddouz (St Pauli/GER), Ayoub El Kaabi (RS Berkane), Mehdi Carcela (Standard Liege/BEL), Hakim Ziyech (Ajax/NED), Nordin Amrabat (Leganes/ESP), Youssef En-Nesyri (Malaga, ESP). + 1 reserve: Oualid El Hajjam (Amiens, FRA).
Nigeria names final squad
Nigeria on Sunday named a final 23-man squad for the World Cup with Chelsea defender Ola Aina and Mikel Agu from FC Porto placed on standby. However, both Aina and Agu will travel with the team for a training camp in Austria.
Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, who has been a major injury concern, made the final cut, while Russia-based defender Bryan Idowu and FC Crotone striker Simeon Nwankwo are the two players who are yet to make an official debut for the team.
Goalkeepers: Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Enyimba), Daniel Akpeyi (Chippa United/RSA), Francis Uzoho (Deportivo La Coruna/ESP)
Defenders: William Troost-Ekong, Shehu Abdullahi (Bursaspor/TUR), Leon Balogun (Brighton Hove Albion/ENG), Kenneth Omeruo (Chelsea/ENG), Bryan Idowu (Amkar Perm/RUS), Chidozie Awaziem (FC Porto/POR), Elderson Echiejile (Cercle Brugge/BEL), Tyronne Ebuehi (Benfica/POR)
Midfielders: Mikel Obi (Tianjin Teda/CHN), Ogenyi Onazi (Trabzonspor/TUR), John Ogu (Hapoel Be'er Sheva/ISR), Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City/ENG),Oghenekaro Etebo (CD Feirense/POR), Joel Obi (Torino FC/ITA)
Forwards: Odion Ighalo (Changchun Yatai/CHN), Ahmed Musa, Kelechi Iheanacho(Leicester City/ENG), Alex Iwobi (Arsenal/ENG), Simeon Nwankwo (FC Crotone/ITA), Victor Moses (Chelsea/ENG)
Injured Kompany retained
Belgium have retained injured Vincent Kompany in their final World Cup squad but put fellow defender Laurent Ciman on standby in case the Manchester City skipper is not fit for their opening match in Russia. Coach Roberto Martinez had been expected to cut his initial 28-man squad by five players on Monday but instead named 24, including Kompany.
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur).
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea/Dortmund), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli).
Standby player: Laurent Ciman (Los Angeles FC).
