As the 26th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup, hosted by Kuwait from Dec. 21 to Jan. 3, approaches, the eight participating teams are ready for the kick-off, as Group A, which includes the host Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, is expected to witness strong competition with equal chances of reaching the semi-finals.
The four teams in Group A have the potential to compete to secure one of the two tickets to the semi-finals and then try to reach the final, thanks to their technical readiness given their presence in the third and decisive round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, as they look forward to dealing with the competition in an ideal manner.
The Qatari team hopes to win the championship for the fourth time in its history after winning the title three times during the 11th, 17th, and 22nd Gulf Championships, and was satisfied with the runner-up position four times in 1984, 1990, 1996, and 2002, during the seventh, 10th, 13th, and 14th tournaments, and it also marked its presence in all the past 25 versions.
Al Adaam are looking forward to appearing with a different style under the leadership of a new coach, Luis Garcia, who took over the task from his compatriot Marquez Lopez. The technical director has chosen 29 players to face the upcoming challenge, relying heavily on the experience factor, which represents the striking force in the ranks of the two-time Asian champion, in light of the presence of the best player in Asia, Akram Afif, alongside Al Duhail striker Almoez Ali.
The list of players to compete in the Gulf Cup witnessed some changes through the return of some elements such as Ahmed Al Rawi and the selection of new players preparing for the Gulf event for the first time, including Rashid Al Abdullah, Al Duhail player, Baha Al Laithi, Al Ahli defender, and Mohammed Khaled and Al Hashemi Al Hussein from Calahorra and La Coruna in Spain, while coach Garcia decided to include some experienced players again, represented by Asim Madibo, Al Gharafa player.
The new coach Luis Garcia, has been keen in the past few days to study the competitors, as the Gulf Cup bet will be an ideal opportunity to get back on the right track by competing for the title, and in order to maintain full readiness before completing the World Cup qualifiers, in which the team is in Group A, occupying fourth place with only 7 points, earned from two wins and a draw, compared to three losses, a large difference from the Iranian team, which leads with 16 points, while the Uzbek team comes in second with 13 points.
During its past 25 participations in the Gulf Cup tournaments, team Qatar played 114 matches, winning 43, losing 42, and drawing 29, scoring 140 goals and conceding 136. Throughout the history of the Gulf Cup, Al Adaam presented names and stars that shone since the first tournament, which witnessed the brilliance of Khaled Taleb Ballan, who won the best player award in the first edition, and Mohammed Ghanem Al Rumaihi, the best player in the second edition, in addition to Mansour Muftah and Mubarak Mustafa, the best player in "Gulf 11", Adel Al Mulla, Adel Khamis, Wissam Rizk, and Waleed Jassim.
The host Kuwait hopes to return to the podium once again, after having previously won ten titles in the Gulf Cup Championship, to be the owner of the largest share in the number of titles. In its current participation, the team is counting on the expected large public support, as the home team previously succeeded in winning the title twice when they hosted the championship in 1974 and 1990.
Argentine Juan Antonio Pizzi leads the team Kuwait in the current edition with a new generation looking to appear with a different face in an attempt to return to the forefront after playing six rounds in the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup finals, within Group B in which it occupies fifth place with 4 points, after drawing in four matches without achieving any victory against two losses.
Team Kuwait, along with its Qatari counterpart, is the most participating team in the tournament, having recorded their presence in all previous versions. Kuwait played 115 matches in all Gulf tournaments, winning 57 matches, drawing 24, and losing 34, scoring 200 goals and conceding 115 goals.
Team Kuwait seeks to return to the podiums of the Gulf Cup after an absence of 14 years, since winning the title of "Gulf 20" hosted by Yemen in 2010, as Kuwaiti football went through difficult circumstances after that, which contributed to the team's absence from competition in all tournaments, before returning during the current Asian qualifiers to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup finals in Saudi Arabia and reach the third and decisive round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Gulf Cup/ Expected Strong Competition, Equal Chances for All Group A Teams -1-
Sports/ Gulf / Gulf Cup
Team Oman is looking to win the championship title for the third time in its history when it begins its journey by facing the host Kuwait at Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium next Saturday, to record its 23rd appearance in the championship, which it previously won twice in the 2009 "Gulf 19" and 2017 "Gulf 23" editions, and came in second place three times in 2004, 2007, and 2023, during the "17" editions in Doha, "18" in Abu Dhabi and "25" in Basra.
Coach Rashid Jaber is leading the team Oman in the Gulf Cup after taking over the task last September, succeeding the Czech Jaroslav Silhavy. The national coach, who has extensive experience in training national teams and local and Arab clubs, seeks to achieve the aspirations of the Omani people by presenting a distinguished level during the next edition
Team Oman is not in an ideal position in the Asian qualifiers so far, after it ranked fourth in Group B with 6 points from two wins and a loss in six matches, as the team needs to correct some things in order to straighten the path before resuming the competition again, and the coach is counting on some names that are expected to present the best level, including Faiz Al Rashidi, Arshad Al Alawi, Harb Al Saadi and Al Mundhir Al Alawi.
Team Oman began its participation in the Gulf Cup tournaments through the third edition hosted by Kuwait in 1974, without achieving remarkable results. However, the development began to appear noticeably in the 7th edition hosted on its land in 1984, in which they did not win the title, however, represented a high-level performance with the brilliance of a number of its players, such as Ghulam Khamis, who won the award for best player, which provided a clear indication of the transition of Omani football to a higher level of competitiveness in the tournament.
Team UAE is looking forward to winning the title for the third time in its history when it participates in the 26th edition of the Gulf Cup, after winning it twice in the "Gulf 18" in 2007, which it hosted on its land, and the "Gulf 21" in 2013 in Bahrain, and finishing as runner-up in 1986, 1988, 1994, and 2017.
The Portuguese Paulo Bento will lead the team UAE during the upcoming edition, which will begin with a match against Qatar on Dec. 21 at Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah Stadium, in the third match between the two teams this year, after they met in the Asian qualifiers, first leg in Doha last September at the start of the journey, and second leg in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 14 in the sixth round, and the UAE national team won both matches.
Team UAE is ranked third in Group A in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with 10 points after six rounds, behind Iran, which is in first place with 16 points, and Uzbekistan, which is in second place with 13 points.
The 26th Gulf Cup Championship will be held with the participation of eight teams divided into two groups. The first group includes the host Kuwait, along with the teams of Qatar, the UAE, and Oman, while the second group includes Iraq - the title holder, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Yemen.
