The Arabian Gulf Cup “Gulf 27” competitions, currently being held in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, will continue tomorrow, Saturday, with the holding of the second round matches, amid differing calculations and a great desire from the teams to decide their position early in the race to qualify for the next round.
Attention will turn to the confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Oman, starting at nine in the evening, as the Saudi team enters the match in high spirits after beginning its journey by defeating Kuwait with an unanswered goal, to score three valuable points that put it in a good position at the beginning of the competitions. “Green” seeks to continue its victories and enhance its chances in the competition, benefiting from the workers of the land and the public.
On the other hand, the Omani team is looking for its first victory, after being content with a 1-1 draw against Iraq in the opening round, a result that made every point in the second round of great importance to it, especially in light of the closeness of the group’s accounts.
As for the confrontation between Iraq and Kuwait, which will start at exactly 5:50 p.m., it seems likely to be one of the most exciting and competitive matches of the round, in light of the importance of the three points for the two teams.
The Iraqi team enters the match after tying with Oman by one goal, and therefore it has no better option than to look for victory if it wants to strengthen its position in the group and come a step closer to qualifying. As for Kuwait, it is looking to compensate for its loss to Saudi Arabia with a goal without a response, and it realizes that any new stumble may make its task more difficult in the last round.
Hence, the confrontation between Iraq and Kuwait seems closer to a football “break of a bone,” as there is no room for giving up points, and no room for mistakes in a match that may greatly determine the features of the competition for the two qualification tickets.
The Emirati sweeps the Yemeni by four
The UAE national team achieved a broad victory over its Yemeni counterpart, with four unanswered goals, yesterday, in the opening of their matches in the second group of the 27th Gulf Championship held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “White” ended the first half with a 3-0 lead, as Nicolas Jimenez opened the scoring in the 26th minute, Nader Sahl scored an own goal in the 36th minute, and Luan Pereira added the third goal in the 45th minute + 4.
In the second half, the Emirati team continued its goals, and Nicolas Jimenez scored again, the fourth for Al-Abyad and the second for him, in the 51st minute. The Emirati team scored its first three points in the second group. On the other hand, the Yemeni team suffered a loss at the beginning of its journey in Gulf 27.
Abdul Aziz Hassan: The Gulf Cup is not decided by nominations
Abdulaziz Hassan is considered one of the most prominent players from the golden generation of Qatari football in particular and the Gulf in general. He played in five editions of the Gulf Cup, and was present when Qatar won the 11th Gulf title for the first time in 1992. He participated in five editions of the Gulf Cup tournaments that began in 1992 in Qatar and ended in 2003 in Kuwait. He appeared in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games and the 2000 Asian Cup. Abdul Aziz believes that the teams’ chances are similar, and the Qatari team has a real chance to compete. There are experienced teams in the Gulf Cup, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain, all of which have good chances.
But the Gulf Cup is not decided by nominations, but by calm and staying away from the limelight and pressure, in addition to the psychological aspect. The team that enters the tournament away from pressure can go far, and therefore I expect “Al-Anabi” to be a strong competitor.
Regarding who is nominated to win the title, Abdulaziz Hassan confirmed: I nominate Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the Emirates to reach the golden square, and I see that Saudi Arabia and Qatar are the closest for me to compete for the title, but I always say that the nominations in the Gulf Cup are not very accurate, and their percentage of contradicting expectations may reach 70 percent, and even the team that enters the tournament at its best level and receives great nominations may not achieve the title, because the Gulf Cup has its own nature, and always carries. Surprises.
Wael Suleiman: Qatar has become a beacon of which we, as Gulf Arabs, are proud
The former Kuwaiti national team player and one of the Kuwaiti football stars, Wael Suleiman, who participated in six Gulf tournaments, of which the Kuwaiti team won three, confirmed that the Arabian Gulf Cup tournaments in their recent years were not the same as before, and there was a clear absence of distinguished and influential stars who had trips and tours in the eighties and nineties, the period in which they played. For example, the Qatari team was at its best from 1992 to 1996.
Especially in Gulfs 11 and 13. He added: The expectations for the 27th Gulf champion are unclear.
Regarding his professional experience with the Qatari club Al-Rayyan in the nineties, he said: It has memories that are dear to my heart, and I still adore this club. I played with Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa, the Minister of Youth, and his cousin Sheikh Ali Al Thani, Younis Ahmed, Mansour Muftah, Hamad Rashid Al-Marri, Salem Al-Marri, and Youssef Dasman. The club’s president at the time was Mohammed bin Hammam. As for Kuwaiti football, it has declined from what it was before, but the current federation, headed by Sheikh Ahmed Al-Yousef, has benefited from previous mistakes and began to improve. Relying on a new youth generation that needs encouragement and support in order to return Kuwaiti football to what it was in the past period. As for the Gulf Veterans’ Football Championship, which will be held at the end of next month in the State of Qatar, and I will be the head of the Kuwaiti delegation, it is an idea that has succeeded with distinction, let alone the fact that Qatar is the capital of sports, not Asian but global, and which has become a beacon of which we as Gulf people are proud.
Gulf Federation Competitions discusses match reports
The Competitions Committee of the Gulf Football Federation held its second meeting in the city of Jeddah, headed by Dr. Khalid bin Abdulaziz bin Muqrin, to discuss a number of topics related to the opening day competitions of the “27th Arabian Gulf” Championship, which is hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the period from September 23 to October 6, 2026, with the participation of eight teams competing in 15 matches.
Muhammad Hazzam Al Dhaheri participated in the meeting, along with committee members Rashid Al-Zoubi, Qutaiba Al-Ghailani, Muhammad Farhan Obaid, Ahmed Muhammad Al-Harami, Ayman Al-Husseini, and Hossam Al-Sanabani, in addition to Hamad Al-Mannai, Director of Competitions Department at the Gulf Football Association, and Muhammad Al-Khamisi, the committee’s rapporteur. These names are consistent with the approved composition of the Federation’s Competitions Committee.
The committee also reviewed the arrangements for the participating teams’ training schedules and the dates of use of the approved training stadiums, ensuring that the teams’ technical programs are organized according to the schedules set for the tournament. The operational plan for the tournament indicates that team training will be held at various training sites in King Abdullah Sports City according to the schedules and stadiums allocated to each team.
For his part, Dr. Khalid bin Abdulaziz bin Muqrin, Chairman of the Competitions Committee of the Gulf Football Association, confirmed that the meeting reviewed the reports of the match observers on the opening day, noting that the matches emerged in a distinctive organizational manner from various aspects.
A prominent Qatari presence on the list of Asian Cup referees
The Asian Football Confederation announced the list of referees participating in the management of the 2027 Asian Cup matches, which will be hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the period from January 7 to February 5, 2027. The list witnessed the selection of a number of Qatari referees to participate in the management of the tournament matches.
The list included international referees Abdul Rahman Al-Jassim and Salman Falahi, along with assistant referees Talib Salem Al-Marri, Saud Ahmed, and Majed Hadaris.
Khamis Al Marri was also chosen to participate in the team of video referees (VAR), while Abdul Rahman Abdo will participate as a technical lecturer, and Banjar Al Dosari will participate as a fitness lecturer.
The selection of referees to manage the 2027 Asian Cup matches confirms the presence of Qatari refereeing competencies in continental competitions.