UAE to face Yemen, Qatar to meet the defending champions

The UAE national team kicks off its campaign today against Yemen, aiming for a strong start that underscores its stated ambitions to compete for the Gulf Cup title and secure a victory it has been waiting for over seven years. The match is part of Group Two.

The "White Falcons" have struggled in the last three editions, suffering unprecedented negative results. The 2007 and 2013 champions were eliminated in the group stage and have not tasted victory in their last eight matches, since defeating Yemen 3-0 on November 26, 2019, during the 24th Gulf Cup.

After earning three points and then suffering two losses in the Doha edition, the UAE recorded its worst-ever performance in the 2023 tournament in Iraq, managing just one point from a draw and two losses. In the previous edition in Doha, they picked up two points after a loss and two draws.

However, the UAE enters the current edition with raised expectations, setting its goal at reaching at least the final.

In the same group, defending champions Bahrain begin their journey with a tough match against Qatar at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium.

Bahrain’s Croatian coach, Dragan Talajić, fired up the atmosphere with statements affirming Bahrain’s intent to retain the title: "The Bahraini team will be the last to leave Jeddah, because we will defend the title."

Pressure appears greater on the Qatari team, which is expected to return to the Gulf Cup spotlight after a title drought since 2014, following its disappointing performance at the recent World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Their Spanish manager, Luis de la Fuente (referred to as Lopetegui in the source text), will undertake his first Gulf Cup assignment, hoping to erase the image of his team’s early exit from the World Cup group stage.

Lopetegui said, "The World Cup is now in the past, and we are thinking about the future. We are not here just to attend the Asian Cup; our full focus is on the Gulf Cup."

The "Maroon" team relies on stability, with the technical staff maintaining the same core group of veteran players who participated in the World Cup and contributed to winning the 2019 Asian Cup in the UAE and the 2023 Asian Cup in Doha.

The Qatari team places great faith in its star player, Akram Afif, twice named the best player in Asia, and its all-time top scorer, Almoez Ali, alongside experienced players such as Khoukhi Boualem, Pedro Miguel, and captain Hassan Al-Haydos.