Largest Edition of the Gulf Cup Under-17 Championship Kicks Off Today in Doha
The Gulf Cup Under-17 Championship kicks off today in Doha with the participation of 10 teams, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and China as guests.
Translated by Qiyas from كونا — Original source
Doha, October 16 (KUNA) – The Gulf Cup for Under-17 Football (Qatar 2026) kicks off today, Friday, in the capital city of Doha and will run until November 4 next year, with the Kuwait national team taking part. Doha hosts the tournament for the second consecutive year, with this edition featuring ten teams competing for the title, including Egypt and China as guest nations, alongside the host Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, and Yemen, marking the largest participation in the tournament’s history.
The draw, held last September, divided the participating teams into two groups of five each. Kuwait is placed in Group 2, alongside Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, and defending champions Saudi Arabia. Group 1 includes host nation Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, and China. The tournament’s matches will be played across 23 games at three venues: Grand Hamad Stadium, Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium, and Saud bin Abdulrahman Stadium.
Kuwait will begin their campaign against Egypt at Saud bin Abdulrahman Stadium on October 20. The tournament officially starts today, Friday, at Grand Hamad Stadium with a match between host Qatar and China. Grand Hamad Stadium, which has a capacity of 13,000 spectators, will also host the final on Wednesday, November 4.
The technical staff of the Kuwait Under-17 national team, led by coach Caiu Zanardi, announced the squad preparing for the upcoming Gulf Cup in Qatar and the Asian Cup qualifiers in Oman. The “Little Blue” squad comprises 26 players: goalkeepers Khaled Al-Khader, Othman Al-Kandari, and Adnan Al-Mubarak; field players Baraq Al-Dhafiri, Badr Al-Dawood, Saad Al-Shamari, Dhia Al-Mutairi, Hamad Al-Shamari, Hussein Muqdad, Hussein Al-Saffar, Hassan Al-Mulla, Hassan Al-Attar, Omar Al-Sarawi, Abdullah Al-Ali, Abdullah Al-Ajmi, Abdulaziz Al-Anzi, Abdulrahman Al-Sulah, Sayed Hussein Al-Ali, Saud Al-Asimi, Youssef Al-Anzi, Yaqoub Zahie, Nizar Al-Musab, Nasser Saeed, Nasser Al-Sudairi, Mohammed Al-Yousef, and Mohammed Al-Jadaan.
The Gulf Football Union, in cooperation with the Local Organizing Committee, announced the launch of ticket sales for the Under-17 Gulf Cup (Qatar 2026) on October 9. Tickets are available at a price of 15 Qatari riyals (approximately $4) through the website roadtoqatar.qa.
Grand Hamad Stadium previously hosted several matches of the 2025 edition, including the final, where Saudi Arabia claimed the title by defeating the United Arab Emirates 2-0. (End) S.S.S / T.M.A
