Daoud Al-Muqrin has withdrawn from the election to lead the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, leaving five candidates competing to succeed former president Yasser Al-Misehal.
The Saudi federation opened its nomination process to prospective candidates after Al-Misehal resigned from his position following Saudi Arabia’s elimination from the 2026 World Cup in the group stage.
The tournament is being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Al-Misehal’s departure came after Saudi Arabia’s campaign ended at the first stage of the competition, prompting a change at the top of the country’s football administration.
The deadline for submitting applications remains open until 17:00 local time on Saturday.
According to Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiyah, the initial list of candidates contained six names. Khalid Al-Ghamdi, the former president of Al-Ahli, was identified as the leading candidate in the field.
The other names originally included Hatem Khaimi, Badr Al-Ruzaiza, Yahya Al-Sharif, Daoud Al-Muqrin and Ahmed Al-Wad’i.
However, Al-Muqrin has now withdrawn from the contest, meaning the election for the presidency will be contested by five candidates.
His decision was reported by Saudi newspaper Al-Jazirah, which confirmed that the former six-person list had been reduced before the close of the application period.
The withdrawal follows the earlier decision of Moayad Al-Shehri, a member of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, to abandon his own bid. Al-Shehri had initially been included among those seeking the presidency but withdrew before Al-Muqrin’s decision.
The five remaining candidates are therefore Khalid Al-Ghamdi, Hatem Khaimi, Badr Al-Ruzaiza, Yahya Al-Sharif and Ahmed Al-Wad’i.
The election is scheduled to take place on 30 August, with the successful candidate set to serve as president until 2030.
The vote will determine the leadership of the federation after Al-Misehal’s resignation and follows Saudi Arabia’s exit from the 2026 World Cup group stage. The process is being completed through an open nomination window, which closes at 17:00 on Saturday before the final field is confirmed.
Al-Misehal had been the federation’s president until his resignation. His departure created the vacancy now being contested by the five remaining candidates, with Al-Ghamdi’s previous role as Al-Ahli president making him the most prominent name identified in the initial reports.
The next president will hold office through to 2030, taking responsibility for the Saudi Arabian Football Federation during the period following the national team’s disappointing World Cup campaign and the subsequent change in its leadership.
