Qatar to host 'Gulf Veterans Cup'

The Gulf Football Union announced that the second edition of the Gulf Cup for Veteran Players will be held in Qatar from October 30 to November 5, in cooperation with the local organizing committee.

The tournament will feature a select group of prominent stars and legends from the eight Gulf football associations, with 15 matches scheduled across three stadiums: Grand Hamad Stadium, Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium, and Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.

The draw placed defending champions Iraq in Group A alongside Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait, while Group B includes host nation Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Yemen.

Matches will be played in two halves of 20 minutes each, with unlimited substitutions allowed. In knockout stages, if a match ends in a draw, it will proceed directly to a penalty shootout.

The tournament kicks off on Friday, October 30, at 5:30 p.m. at Grand Hamad Stadium with the opening match between Qatar and Bahrain. The final will take place on Thursday, November 5, at 7:00 p.m. at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.

The veteran players’ tournament is scheduled during the break in the Gulf U-17 Championship, which Qatar is hosting from October 16 to November 4. It forms part of a busy football calendar that also includes the FIFA U-17 World Cup, running from November 19 to December 13 at the Aspire Zone’s competition venues.