Saudi Arabia defender Saud Abdulhamid is set to join his national teammates in the United States this Thursday after a bizarre travel ordeal kept him grounded. The 26-year-old, currently on loan at Lens from Roma, was supposed to report to a training camp in Riyadh earlier this week. However, those plans were derailed when his car was broken into while he was in Amsterdam for his wedding. During the incident, thieves made off with his personal belongings, most crucially his passport, leaving him unable to travel as scheduled.

Following the theft, Abdulhamid worked closely with Saudi authorities to expedite the paperwork needed for a replacement document. Expressing his relief and excitement on social media, the defender posted "Let's go to the World Cup" once the issue was resolved. He is now expected to link up with coach Georgios Donis’s 30-man squad in New York, where the team is currently preparing for the tournament with a series of friendlies against Ecuador, Puerto Rico, and Senegal before their opening Group H match against Uruguay on June 15.