Al Annabi can win Gulf Cup, says former Qatar player Mubarak

Former Qatar national team footballer Meshal Mubarak has said that Al Annabi can win the Arabian Gulf Cup title a fourth time at the forthcoming 26th edition of the tournament to be played from December 21, 2024 to January 2, 2025 in Kuwait.Mubarak said that the twice Asian Cup champions Qatar have the presence of a distinguished generation of players who will be eager to win the Gulf Cup title for a fourth time in history, and please the fans again despite the strong competition expected in the tournament.Qatar have previously won the Gulf Cup in 1992, 2004 and 2014.Qatar are in Group A along with hosts Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates while Group B comprises Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Qatar will play their opening match against UAE at the Jaber Al Mubarak Al Hamad Stadium in Sulaibikhat, Kuwait, on December 21 (Saturday).Regarding his expectations for the tournament, Mubarak while speaking to QNA said that many teams have a chance to win, but the Gulf Cup is not often subject to prior calculations but the indicators may go in favour of Qatar, along with hosts Kuwait and defending champions Iraq.He stressed that it will be a good opportunity to invest in the tournament from a competitive perspective, in light of the need for seven out of the eight participating teams to raise their readiness to compete in the rest of the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.The former international player Mubarak, played in the 17th edition of Gulf Cup hosted by Qatar in 2004. He said that it was one of the important tournaments in his career where Al Annabi won their second title and he considers it as an important milestone of his career and that it remains one of the historical achievements of Qatari football.He noted that Oman were strong contenders after reaching the final which was decided on penalties and won by Qatar.Mubarak, who has also previously played for Qatar SC, Al Wakrah, Al Rayyan, Al Gharafa and Al Ahli, added that the presence of seven teams in the third and decisive stage of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers will reflect well on the technical level, and that the timing of the tournament will be appropriate in light of the current seasonal break for the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup, which will resume in March.The left-back, who had a professional experience with the Dutch club Feyenoord, also talked about the memories of the 15th edition of the Gulf Cup, pointing out that Qatar performed wonderfully in that tournament, in which they were one step away from winning the title.Mubarak, who also participated in two editions of the Asian Cup in 2000 and 2007, opined that the Gulf Cup championships have greatly contributed to the development of football in the region in terms of technical and administrative aspects, as well as in terms of infrastructure, noting that the upcoming 26th edition will witness strong competition.