The attention of the Gulf fans is turning to the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which is preparing to host the twenty-seventh edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup (Gulf 27), where Al-Anabi begins its campaign against the Bahraini national team next Thursday, September 24, at the opening of the second group competitions, at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, at nine o’clock in the evening.
The confrontation is of particular importance as it brings together the Qatari team, the Asian champion, and the Bahraini team, holder of the previous edition’s title, in one of the strongest confrontations in the first round, while the group includes alongside them the teams of the Emirates and Yemen. The tournament will be held in Jeddah from September 23 to October 6, with the participation of eight teams competing in 15 matches.
Yesterday, Thursday, our national team trained at the Aspire Academy stadiums, at the beginning of the final stage of local preparations, and training will continue today, Friday, before the delegation departs for the city of Jeddah after the final training session. The technical team, led by Spaniard Julen Lopetegui, is working on putting the final touches on the players’ readiness, before entering the atmosphere of the Gulf Championship, during which Al-Anabi is looking forward to appearing with its usual strength and competing for the title. Al Annabi will participate in the tournament with all its stars, and it was made clear that the technical staff decided to rely on the basic elements and expertise available to it, in a step that reflects the importance of the tournament for the Qatari team.
Al-Anabi will begin a new phase of preparation after arriving in Jeddah, through training on the stadiums designated for the teams, leading to the final training that precedes the confrontation with Bahrain.
Final list
The Qatari national team announced its list of participants in the “Gulf 27”, which included 26 players led by Lopetegui, and combines elements of experience and a number of young faces.
Goalkeeping:
Mishal Barshim, Mahmoud Abu Nada, Salah Zakaria.
Defense line:
Ayoub Al-Alawi, Boualem Khoukhi, Pedro Miguel, Sultan Al-Breik, Tarek Salman, Issa Lay, Hammam Al-Amin.
Midfield:
Ahmed Fathi, Jassem Jaber, Assem Madibo, Abdelaziz Hatem, Karim Boudiaf, Mohamed Manai, Nayef Al-Hadrami.
Offensive line:
Akram Afif, Al-Moez Ali, Edmilson Jr., Ahmed Alaa, Ahmed Al-Janahi, Tahseen Muhammad, Hassan Al-Haydos, Hashem Ali, Youssef Abdel-Razzaq.
Preparations are complete for “The Bride of the Red Sea”
At the same time, Jeddah is witnessing the final organizational touches before the start of the tournament, which is being held for the first time in the history of the Gulf Cup in Jeddah, at the stadiums of King Abdullah Sports City and Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City. The Saudi Press Agency confirmed the completion of organizational and operational preparations to receive the teams, fans and media, including stadiums, facilities, match operations, transportation and logistical services. The tournament begins on Wednesday, September 23, with matches between Iraq and Oman, and Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Yesterday, Thursday, the Saudi national team announced its final list of 26 players, and the “Green” team will launch its camp in Jeddah today, Friday, with Al-Ahly players joining the camp on Sunday after their participation with their club in the FIFA Confederations Cup 2026. The Saudi national team will begin its campaign by facing Kuwait on September 23, then Oman and Iraq. The start of the tournament coincides with the Saudi National Day, an occasion that gives the current edition a special public and organizational dimension, amid great anticipation from fans of the Gulf teams who have begun to arrive and prepare to attend in Jeddah.
Our fans…an awaited presence
The Qatari fans, in turn, are anticipating the tournament with great interest, with the “Annabi Stadium” initiative to organize the transfer of fans to Jeddah to support the team, in a scene that brings back memories of the remarkable public presence of the Qataris at “Gulf 26” in Kuwait.
Thus, Al-Anabi enters the final days before kickoff, between a final training session in Doha, a trip to Jeddah, and a complete list of stars, while the Bahraini title holder prepares to decide his final list and travel to Jeddah. The first confrontations of the second group begin between the two teams, in an early Gulf match that carries many calculations and ambitions.
Four Qatari referees in the tournament
Qatari arbitration participates in the “Gulf 27” competitions through four referees, namely Muhammad Al-Shammari as a referee, and Zahi Al-Shammari and Khaled Ayed as assistant referees, in addition to Mishari Al-Shammari as part of the video assistant referee (VAR) team.
The defending champion…is ready for the tournament
On the Bahraini side, Al-Ahmar continues its intensive preparations before facing Al-Anabi, after starting its training last Sunday at the outdoor stadiums of the Bahraini Football Association, led by Croatian coach Dragan Talajic. On Wednesday evening, the Bahraini national team participated in a closed training exercise, which was an important step for the technical staff to evaluate the players’ readiness and decide on the final options before announcing the final list yesterday, Thursday. The training is scheduled to continue this evening, with the first 15 minutes open to the media. Bahrain’s initial list included 37 players, before the technical staff worked to reduce it to the final list. The team’s ranks were also completed with the addition of Muharraq and Khalidiya players, along with Mohammed Marhoon, the Kuwaiti player, after the end of their associations with their clubs in the AFC Champions League 2. The Bahraini national team is scheduled to enter a closed local camp starting Friday, and will conclude its training in Bahrain tomorrow, Saturday, before traveling to Jeddah on Sunday, September 20. Al-Ahmar enters the tournament with the ambition of defending the title it won in the last edition, and the starting test will be against Qatar, before facing the UAE and then Yemen in the second and third rounds.