Arrival schedules for professionals to Saudi Arabia

A source within the national team has revealed the schedule for the arrival of professional players to the Iraq national team currently in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in preparation for the Gulf Cup "Gulf 27" starting next Wednesday.

The national team delegation, consisting of local players and the coaching staff led by Australian Graham Arnold, arrived in Jeddah this evening after departing from the capital Baghdad, accompanied by Al Nassr player Haidar Abdulkarim, who joined the delegation from Baghdad.

The source confirmed that tomorrow, Monday, will see the arrival of a large batch of professionals consisting of 7 players at once, namely:

Uzbek Pakhtakor striker Ayman Hussein, Zaid Tahseen, English Sheffield forward Ali Al Hamadi, midfielder Zidane Iqbal, Polish Cracovia midfielder Amir Al Amari, American Nashville SC winger Ahmed Qassem, and Czech Slovan Liberec defender Merchas Doski.

These players are expected to participate in the evening training session on Monday at the training grounds in Jeddah, where Arnold will rely heavily on the tactical side to finalize preparations before facing Oman.

The source added that the national team's squad will be finalized on Tuesday with the arrival of the last professional, young Austrian player Youssef Al Nasrawi, who is considered one of the most notable surprises that Arnold is preparing for the tournament.

With the addition of the Al Nassr player, the final list for the Black Lions of Mesopotamia is now complete. The team will hold its final and main training session on Tuesday at the match venue, in preparation for the opening match against Oman on Wednesday at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium.

Arnold aims to quickly leverage the presence of all professionals to create harmony between them and the local players, especially with the tournament starting in just 3 days, and time is very tight before the first Gulf clash.

Our national team is in a tough Group A alongside hosts Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait, aiming for a strong start to compete for their fifth title in history.