27th Arabian Gulf Cup

27th Arabian Gulf Cup

كأس الخليج العربي 27
Tournament details
Host country	Saudi Arabia
City	Riyadh
Dates	September 2026
Teams	8 (from 1 confederation)
← 2024–25

The 27th Arabian Gulf Cup will be the 27th edition of the biennial football competition for the eight members of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation. The tournament will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2026. ^{[1] [2]}

Teams

Team	Appearance	Previous best performance	FIFA Rankings
Qatar	27th	Winners (1992, 2004, 2014)
Saudi Arabia (hosts)	26th	Winners (1994, 2002, 2003–04)
Iraq	18th	Winners (1979, 1984, 1988, 2023)
United Arab Emirates	26th	Winners (2007, 2013)
Oman	25th	Winners (2009, 2017–18)
Bahrain (holders)	27th	Winners (2019, 2024–25)
Kuwait	27th	Winners (1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1996, 1998, 2010)
Yemen	12th	Group stage (2003–04, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017–18, 2019, 2023, 2024–25)

Group stage

Tiebreakers

Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings: Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams; Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams; Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams; If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams; Goal difference in all group matches; Goals scored in all group matches; Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points); Drawing of lots.

Group A

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Saudi Arabia (H)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Knockout stage
2	A2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	A3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	A4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

First match(es) will be played: 2025. Source: AGCFF
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts

September 2026 (2026-09)

Saudi Arabia	v

September 2026 (2026-09)

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Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Bahrain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Knockout stage
2	B2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	B3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	B4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

First match(es) will be played: 2025. Source: AGCFF
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

September 2026 (2026-09)

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September 2026 (2026-09)

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Knockout stage

In the knockout stage, extra time and penalty shoot-out are used to decide the winner if necessary.

Bracket

	Semi-finals				Final
	2026 –
	Winner Group A
					2026 –
	Runner-up Group B
					Winner Semi-final 1
	2026 –
					Winner Semi-final 2
	Winner Group B
	Runner-up Group A

Semi-finals

September 2026 (2026-09)

Winner Group A	Semi-final 1	Runner-up Group B

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September 2026 (2026-09)

Winner Group B	Semi-final 2	Runner-up Group A

Final

September 2026 (2026-09)

Winner Semi-final 1	v	Winner Semi-final 2

References

1. "الخميس إعلان استضافة السعودية «خليجي 27» في سبتمبر 2026". aawsat.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-12-26.
2. "الشهادة الآسيوية للمالكي". arriyadiyah.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-12-26.