The Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation announced today, Thursday, the matches for Iraq and the other teams participating in the Gulf 27 Championship scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia, along with the dates, timings, and venues of the anticipated encounters.
The tournament will kick off in September 2026 with a strong opening match between the Iraqi national team and its Omani counterpart on Wednesday, September 23, at 17:30 at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, followed by the match between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on the same day at 21:00 at the King Abdullah Sports City.
The Gulf excitement continues in the group stage on Thursday, September 25, with a match between the UAE and Yemen at 18:55 at the King Abdullah Sports City, followed by the clash between Qatar and Bahrain at 21:00 at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium.
The Iraqi national team will face Kuwait in its second match on Saturday, September 26, at 18:55 at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, followed by the evening match between Saudi Arabia and Oman at 21:00 at the King Abdullah Sports City.
The competitions will resume on Sunday, September 27, with the match between Qatar and Yemen at 18:55 at the King Abdullah Sports City, and the UAE vs. Bahrain match at 21:00 at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium.
The group stage will conclude with a decisive round on Tuesday, September 29, when Iraq plays a top match against the host, the Saudi national team, at 20:30 at the King Abdullah Sports City, coinciding with the match of Oman against Kuwait at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium.
This will be followed by the conclusion of Group B on Wednesday, September 30, with matches between the UAE and Qatar at the King Abdullah Sports City, and Bahrain vs. Yemen at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium at 20:30.
As for the knockout stages, the semi-final matches will take place on Saturday, October 3, 2026, with the first match gathering the winner of Group A against the second place of Group B at 18:55, while the winner of Group B faces the second place of Group A at 21:30, with venues to be confirmed later for this golden square.
The tournament will officially conclude with the final match on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at the King Abdullah Sports City between the winners of the two semi-final matches to determine the champion of the 27th edition of the Arab Gulf Cup.
The Gulf 27 Championship will kick off in Jeddah in 2026 on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, and will continue until Tuesday, October 6, 2026, with the participation of the teams from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Yemen.