Salem Al-Dawsari, captain of the Saudi national team, rejected the idea of international retirement following the Green Falcons' exit from the first round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to the Saudi sports newspaper Al-Riyadh.
The report clarified that Salem, 34 years old, has decided to continue and lead the Green Falcons in upcoming competitions, foremost among them the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup and the AFC Asian Cup, both of which will be hosted by Saudi Arabia next September and January.
Salem failed to score for the Falcons during the 2026 World Cup, having played 90 minutes in the 1–1 draw against Uruguay.
He similarly played against Spain, and participated for 66 minutes against Cape Verde.
The report added that Al-Hilal's management granted Salem and the rest of the international players a special leave of 18 days following the conclusion of their participation with the Saudi national team in the World Cup finals, with instructions to return for training at the camp in Austria, which begins on the 15th of this month.
Salem recorded his 111th international appearance in his last match against Cape Verde.
He is currently the eighth-highest scorer in the history of the Saudi national team, with 26 goals.
