The Arab goalkeepers are not responsible for the loss of their teams in the 2026 World Cup

Athletes and experts in training goalkeepers confirmed that the Arab goalkeepers participating in the 2026 World Cup do not bear full responsibility for the negative results achieved by their teams, pointing out that defensive errors and the weakness of the background system were the most prominent reason for conceding goals, while some goalkeepers played a pivotal role in achieving positive results for their teams.

They told “Emirates Today” that some goalkeepers played an influential role in the positive results achieved by their teams, especially Egyptian Mustafa Schubert and Moroccan Yassine Bono, and they stressed that the teams that had good goalkeepers were the ones who deserved to achieve positive results.

They stressed that the goalkeeping position of the Iraqi and Tunisia teams was very weak, which led to each of them conceding 12 goals in three matches.

Defensive return

The former Moroccan international goalkeeper and current goalkeeper coach, Abdul Latif Iraqi, confirmed that the weakness of the defensive system was the main reason for the suffering of a number of goalkeepers, especially in the teams of Iraq, Tunisia, and Jordan.

He said: “The 2026 World Cup witnessed the brilliance of a large number of goalkeepers who performed at remarkable levels, including names that were not widely known before the start of the tournament. As is known, the World Cup represents the most important platform for any goalkeeper to demonstrate his abilities and prove his value at the international level.” He added: “Among the most prominent goalkeepers who caught the attention were Cape Verdean national team goalkeeper Fosinha (40 years old), and Haiti national team goalkeeper Johnny Placid (38 years old), which confirms that age is not the decisive factor for a goalkeeper, but rather physical readiness, experience, and artistic and technical capabilities.”

He continued: “The tournament also witnessed a distinguished Arab presence in the goalkeeping position, led by Yassine Bono with Morocco, and Mustafa Schubert with Egypt.”

Poor setup

Iraqi goalkeeper coach Nemat Abbas confirmed that some Arab teams participated in the World Cup without preparing their goalkeepers in the exemplary manner required by the tournament. He said: “The modern goalkeeper is required to lead the defense line from the back, to constantly communicate with the defenders, to have good positioning, to read the course of the game, to make quick decisions, to master playing with the feet and to contribute to building the attack, in addition to proper handling of crosses and set balls, and maintaining focus throughout the minutes of the match.”

He explained that some Arab goalkeepers were clearly affected by the decline in the level of defense lines in their teams, as poor coverage, weak control, and leaving spaces in front of the opponent put the goalkeeper in very difficult situations, and forced him to face attackers in isolation or with shots from close distances, which are situations that are difficult to deal with, no matter how great the goalkeeper’s capabilities are.

Experience weapon

The former national team and Kalba club goalkeeper, Sultan Al-Mundhiri, confirmed that the lack of experience participating in the World Cup was the most prominent factor behind the decline in the level of most Arab team goalkeepers during the current edition, pointing out that Moroccan Yassine Bounou was the most prominent exception.

He added: “I also exclude Egyptian Mustafa Schubert, who benefited from the presence of distinguished elements in the various lines of the team, such as Rami Rabia, Mohamed Salah, and Omar Marmoush, which provided him with great support and helped him appear well.”

He said: “I watched all the goals that Arab goalkeepers conceded, and the lack of experience was clear, especially among Yazid Abu Leili, the Jordanian goalkeeper, and Mahmoud Abundi, the Qatar goalkeeper.”

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• The most prominent mistakes of Arab goalkeepers in the 2026 World Cup, according to monitoring by experts

• Luca Zidane (Algeria): He bears responsibility for the second goal against Argentina, after the ball bounced off him and was prepared for Lionel Messi. He also bears part of the responsibility for the first goal, and his rating is 4.8 out of 10.

• Jalal Hassan (Iraq): He bears full responsibility for the first goal against Norway, while responsibility is shared with the defense line for the second goal, and his rating is 4.2 out of 10.

• Ahmed Basil (Iraq): He is responsible for two goals against France for not being careful in the first goal, and incorrectly anticipating the second goal, and his rating is 6.2 out of 10.

• Yassine Bounou (Morocco): He bears responsibility for the goal he conceded against Haiti, which gave the competitor the opportunity to score, and his rating is 7 out of 10.

• Mahmoud Abundi (Qatar): He bears responsibility for the goal he conceded against Canada, as a result of poor judgment in handling the ball, and his rating is 6.6 out of 10.

• Abdel Mohib Chamakh (Tunisia): He bears full responsibility for the loss to Sweden (5-1), and his rating is 3.7 out of 10.

• Ayman Dahmane (Tunisia): He is responsible for some of the goals he conceded against Japan (4-0) and the Netherlands (3-1), and his rating is 5.3 out of 10.

• Yazid Abuleli (Jordan): He bears responsibility for not directing the defense line correctly, and his rating is 5.6 out of 10.