According to official statistics monitored by 'Emirates Today', the technical staff of the national team, led by Romanian coach Ilario Cosmin, focused its selections for the new squad, which included 24 players during the camp that concluded yesterday in Abu Dhabi, on young elements. This is in preparation for upcoming events, foremost of which is the 27th Gulf Cup, scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia next September, as well as the finals of the 2027 Asian Cup, also scheduled in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5, 2027. It was noted that the squad included 19 players under the age of 30, three players under the age of 35, and only two players over the age of 35. It was also noted that among the 19 players under the age of 30, there are 10 players under the age of 25, which is an indicator that coach Cosmin will rely on young and underage elements in the next phase, especially in preparation for the qualifiers for the 2030 World Cup. The goalkeeper Ali Khusayf (38 years old) is the oldest player in the national team, followed by goalkeeper Adel al-Hosni (36 years old), Sasha (32 years old), and both Nicolas Jiménez and Saeed Saeed (30 years old). The goalkeeper of Al Ahli's youth team, Hamad al-Maqbali (22 years old), and the players of Al Jazira Richard O'Connor (22 years old) and Mamadou Coulibaly (22 years old), as well as player of Al Dhafra Leonardo Amuesimico (22 years old), are considered the youngest in the team. It is worth noting that the national team's last squad saw the absence of a group of players who were cornerstones in the formation, such as Al Ain's goalkeeper Khaled Eisa, and the players of Sharjah Caio Lucas and Luan Pereira, and the player of Al-Wasl Fabio de Lima, and the player of Al-Wahda Ala al-Din Zuhair, and others. Sports analyst Adel al-Hamadi said that despite the national team not having any near-term external commitments, this camp is an opportunity for the technical staff to assess the levels of its players, especially the elements who joined the national team for the first time. Al-Hamadi added to 'Emirates Today': 'The average age of the players selected in the new squad and their young age is a positive thing, as they are being prepared for a long-term plan, especially in terms of participating in the 2027 Asian Cup, as well as the qualifiers for the 2030 World Cup.' Al-Hamadi considered that 'the new faces represent a great addition to the team, and give coach Cosmin many technical options in the next phase, especially since the names chosen have presented a distinguished technical return with their teams in the recent period.' Al-Hamadi continued: 'We have to wait and see how the current elements in the team will perform in the next period, especially at the continental level, against big teams like Japan, South Korea, Iran, and Iraq, and whether these elements can present a distinguished technical return as they did with their teams in local competitions or not.'
