Alkass English
The draw for the 27th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup, “Khaleeji 27,” held today in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, placed the Qatari national team in Group B alongside the UAE, Bahrain, and Yemen.
Group A of the tournament, which will take place in Jeddah from September 23 to October 6, includes Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Kuwait.
The draw ceremony was attended by His Excellency Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, Minister of Sports and Youth and President of the Arabian Gulf Cup Football Federation, along with representatives of the eight participating national teams and several former Gulf football stars.
“Khaleeji 27” will be the fifth edition held under the umbrella of the Arabian Gulf Cup Football Federation.
Saudi Arabia will host the tournament for the fifth time, having previously staged the competition in 1972, 1988, 2002, and 2014.
Before the draw, hosts Saudi Arabia were placed at the top of Group A, while the UAE, ranked highest among the remaining teams in the latest FIFA rankings issued on April 1, were seeded at the top of Group B. The participating teams were divided into three pots based on the latest rankings. Pot 1 included Qatar and Iraq, Pot 2 featured Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Pot 3 included Bahrain and Oman, while Kuwait and Yemen were placed in Pot 4.
According to the tournament format, teams in each group will play a single round-robin format, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinals. The winner of Group A will face the runner-up of Group B, while the winner of Group B will take on the runner-up of Group A.
Bahrain won the previous edition of the tournament, held in Kuwait, after defeating Oman 2-1 in the final.
Kuwait remains the most successful team in Gulf Cup history with 10 titles, the latest coming in “Khaleeji 20” held in Yemen in 2010. Iraq follows with four titles, most recently winning “Khaleeji 25” on home soil in Basra in 2023.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia share third place on the all-time winners list with three titles each, followed by the UAE, Oman, and Bahrain with two titles apiece. Yemen has yet to win the championship in its 10 appearances.
The Arabian Gulf Cup continues to enjoy significant popularity and special importance among Gulf fans since its launch nearly 56 years ago in 1970, when Bahrain hosted the inaugural edition. The tournament reflects the values of brotherhood and unity among GCC nations, combining sporting rivalry with strong social and cultural ties.