Al-Azraq Kicks Off Preparations for Gulf Cup 27 Competition

The national first football team will launch its training tomorrow in preparation for the 27th Gulf Cup (Gulf 27), scheduled to be held in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from the 23rd of this month until October 6 next year, with the participation of eight national teams. The national team will compete in Group A of the championship, which includes the teams of Saudi Arabia (the host), Oman, Iraq, and the Blue Team. Group B comprises the teams of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Yemen.

The technical staff of the national team, led by Portuguese coach Helio Sousa, announced the Blue Team’s preparation program for the coming days leading up to the start of the tournament. The team will begin its training sessions tomorrow evening at the Ali Al-Salem Stadium, located at Al-Nasr Club. On Wednesday, the national team delegation will depart for Doha, the Qatari capital, which will host the team’s final training camp in preparation for the championship, before heading to Jeddah on the 16th of this month ahead of the tournament’s kickoff.

After arriving in Jeddah, the national team will play a friendly match against the Yemeni national team on the 18th of this month, a few days before the championship begins. The team previously held a one-week training camp in Thailand in early June during the international break, where it played a friendly match that ended in a 2-2 draw against Thailand.

The announcement of the national team squad is expected later yesterday evening, following the conclusion of the third round of matches in the Zain Premier League. Coach Sousa had finalized the player list in recent days but delayed the official announcement until after the round’s conclusion, in anticipation of any potential injuries or unexpected absences during the final two league matches.

Sousa and his coaching staff aim to gradually reduce the players’ physical load in the coming days, given that the players have competed in three consecutive rounds of the Zain Premier League. Training loads will be progressively increased during the coming days and throughout the training camp in Qatar, leading up to the start of the championship.