Players hold their final training session before the vital qualifier.

KUWAIT CITY, June 4: Kuwait will raise the slogan of “Victory Only” when it hosts Palestine at 9:15 pm at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, in the ninth round of Group B of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

While victory is essential, it won't be enough for Kuwait to maintain hopes of reaching the Asian play-off stage. The team must also defeat South Korea in the final round next Tuesday in Seoul, and hope Oman loses both of its remaining matches.

Currently, Kuwait sits at the bottom of the group standings with 5 points, behind South Korea (16), Jordan (13), Iraq (12), Oman (10), and Palestine (6).

Head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi has included 26 players in the squad for tonight’s match. The roster features:

Saud Al-Hoshan, Fahad Al-Hajri, Meshari Ghannam, Reda Hani, Ahmed Al-Zanki, Ahmed Al-Dhafiri, Mohammed Daham, Yousef Nasser, Khaled Al-Rashidi, Rashid Al-Dosari, Moaz Al-Dhafiri, Jassim Al-Matar, Mubarak Al-Fenini, Khaled Sabah, Suleiman Abdul-Ghafoor, Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi, Hassan Hamdan, Mohammed Khaled, Hussein Ashkanani, Yousef Majed, Hamad Harbi, Abdulrahman Al-Rashidi, Mahdi Dashti, Moaz Al-Asima, and Fawaz Ayed.

Since taking charge last July, Pizzi has yet to register a win with Kuwait, having drawn five matches and lost three in the qualifiers. He hopes to secure his first victory tonight and keep his qualification hopes alive. He’s also demanding full focus and discipline from the players, especially after increasing the intensity in recent training sessions and addressing past defensive errors.

On the other side, Palestine, coached by Ihab Abu Jazar, is full of confidence after its surprise 2-1 comeback win over Iraq. Abu Jazar is aiming for his second win in the qualifiers.

The team has been training in Doha since mid-May, and the coach will rely on key players, including:

Uday Al-Dabbagh (Aberdeen)

Wissam Abu Ali (Al-Ahly)

Ahmed Al-Qaq (North Carolina)

Mohammed Ahbous (Al-Ansar)

Kuwait’s final training session, scheduled at Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, was canceled due to a dust storm that raised health concerns for the players.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) appointed a Tajik refereeing team for tonight's match:

Sadullo Gulmuradi (Referee)

Hasan Karimov and Farkhad Karilov (Assistant referees)

Abdul Davalitov (Fourth official)

VAR officials: Mohammed Obaid and Yahya Al Mulla from the UAE

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff