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It has been shrouded in secrecy but we finally know the identity of the 26 players that will represent Palestine in their first matches of 2026 World Cup qualification.
Four years after their World Cup dreams were all but extinguished Al-Fida’i will hope that the league stoppage that occurred as the result of Israel’s brutal war will not end another World Cup dream prematurely.
A friendly against Yemen that was supposed to take place earlier in the week was scrapped meaning Palestine will have not played in over two months when they take the pitch in Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) against Lebanon.
There are few surprises in this squad. Friendlies against Tajikistan and Malaysia last month were scuppered when the team and coaching staff were unable to travel. The Merdeka Cup might have provided a platform for experimentation but Dabboub has decided to stick with the players that he has worked with since successfully qualifying for the 2023 Asian Cup. Only two uncapped players are included. The players that have not played in 2023 are the backup goalkeepers, the uncapped Zeid Qunbar, and Oday Dabbagh who missed out on the friendlies due to injury.
The squad includes ten players plying their trade abroad. Three players who are currently without a club having last played abroad. An additional three players play in the Israeli football pyramid. The remaining ten players play in the WBPL.
The average age of the squad is 26.8. Abdelhadi Yassin is the youngest at 19- one of three players born in the 21st century. The oldest players are a quartet of 30 year olds- Musab Al-Battat, Tamer Seyam, Mohammed Saleh, and Odai Kharoub.
The rest of the squad is as follows:
Snubs
The biggest shock is the absence of Mahmoud Eid who is leading the Thai League in goal involvements (11) and assists (6). Given the fact that the one of the league’s best players was excluded it isn’t surprising to see the continued exclusion of Yashir Islame. The 32 year old striker has scored big goals in his national team career and is getting consistent playing time, albiet out of position, for Trat FC
Jamal Hamed Mayor was thought to have a shot to be in the squad given his performances with Muaither in the Qatar Stars League. The inclusion of Jonathan Cantillana means the once anticipated debut of Muhamed Alghoul will be further delayed.
It will be interesting to see how similar the Asian Cup squad is to this one and if there is still time for the jilted players to will themselves into the side before Asia’s showpiece event kicks off.
