Kuwait to host 26th Gulf Cup
The trophy of the Arabian Gulf Cup. Photo: AGCFF
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Kuwait announced on Monday that it will host the next Gulf Cup football tournament (26th Gulf Cup) without specifying the date, after the 25th edition of the tournament started last Friday in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.
The announcement was made by the President of Kuwait Football Association, Abdullah Al-Shaheen, in a statement reported by local newspapers.
“Kuwait will host the next Gulf Cup,” Al-Shaheen said, adding that the timing of the 26th edition will be determined later, without giving further details.
The 23rd Gulf Cup took place in Kuwait from December 22, 2017 until January 5, 2018. Oman won their second title, defeating the United Arab Emirates in the final on penalties following a goalless draw.
The 24th Gulf Cup was held in Qatar from November 24 to December 6, 2019, where Bahrain won the competition by a 1–0 victory against Saudi Arabia to secure their first title.
Iraq is hosting the 25th Gulf Cup, which is a reunion tournament for football fans in the Arab Gulf region, for the second time in its history, after it was held in the capital, Baghdad, in 1979.
The championship started this time in Basra International Stadium in southern Iraq, where a distinguished ceremony was held and a large audience attended.
The tournament, which was launched for the first time in 1970 in Bahrain, became an umbrella of a new entity called the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation (AGCFF), which was established in 2016 specifically to sponsor this Gulf football tournament that takes place every two years.