The Saudi Arabian national under-23 team resumed intensive training on Wednesday in preparation for their upcoming match against Jordan, as part of the second round of group stage matches in the 2026 AFC U-23 Championship. These preparations come as the Green Falcons seek to strengthen their position in the group and advance towards the knockout stages.
The Saudi national team players held their training session this evening under the supervision of Italian head coach Luigi Di Biagio and his assistant coaching staff. The coaching staff adopted a strategy of dividing the players into two groups to ensure everyone's physical and technical readiness. The first group, which included the players who started in the opening match against Kyrgyzstan, performed a recovery session aimed at alleviating muscle fatigue and preparing them for the upcoming match.
In contrast, the second group began the training session with various fitness exercises to raise the physical level, followed by a tactical training session in which the coach focused on applying specific technical phrases, before concluding the session with a special training on set pieces, which reflects the technical staff’s interest in exploiting all available solutions to score, given the importance of set pieces in deciding closed and crucial matches.
The match between the Saudi national team and their Jordanian counterparts holds particular significance, not only because it is an Arab derby always characterized by its competitiveness and excitement, but also because its outcome will play a crucial role in determining which teams advance from Group A. This tournament is a pivotal stage in the development of young players, as the AFC U-19 Championships serve as the primary feeder system for the senior national teams and a platform for showcasing the talents who will represent Saudi football on the international stage in the future, in line with the significant progress witnessed in the Kingdom's sports sector.
The under-23 Saudi national team is scheduled to resume training at 6:00 PM tomorrow, Thursday, to finalize preparations for Friday evening's match. The first 15 minutes of the training session will be open to the media, allowing journalists to observe part of the preparations and capture the team's morale.
It is worth noting that the national under-23 team is competing in the strong first group in the 2026 Asian Cup, which includes Vietnam, Jordan, and Kyrgyzstan, making every point extremely important to secure passage to the next round.
