Kuwait to host 26th Gulf Cup

OFA chief re-elected as AGCFF vice-president

A formal seal of approval was given to Kuwait as host of the 26th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup on Wednesday.

The green light was given during the Ordinary General Assembly of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation (AGCFF) that was held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in the Qatari capital of Doha on Wednesday.

It may be recalled that Kuwait were announced as hosts in January earlier this year but a formal approval from the governing body was made on Wednesday.

This would be the fifth time Kuwait would be hosting the region’s biggest football extravaganza, which features eight teams – Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Iraq, Yemen and Kuwait.

Kuwait are also the record title holders of Gulf Cup titles, winning it ten times.

Defending champions Iraq have won it four times while Saudi Arabia, Qatar have won it thrice. UAE and Oman have claimed the top honours twice while Bahrain have won it once. Yemen, which entered the competition only in 2003-04 edition, are the only nation not to have won the title.

The AGCFF meeting on Wednesday was chaired by AGCFF president Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and was attended by AGCFF vice-president Sheikh Salem bin Saeed Al Wahaibi, who is also the Oman Football Association (OFA) chairman along with other members of the associations.

Sheikh Hamad, who is also the president of the Qatar Football Association, was re-elected as the AGCFF chief for another fouryear term along with Al Wahaibi as the vice-president. Sheikh Hamad has been the president of the AGCFF since its inception in 2016.

The 25th edition of the Gulf Cup was held successfully in Basra, Iraq, with the host nation edging past Oman 3-2 in the final in January this year.

The regional tournament was first played in 1970 when it was hosted in Bahrain.