Largest Edition of the Under-17 Gulf Cup Begins Today in Doha
The Under-17 Gulf Cup football tournament begins today in Doha with the participation of 10 teams, including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, in the largest historical edition.
Translated by Qiyas from القبس — Original source
The 2026 Gulf Cup for Under-17 Football begins today, Friday, in the capital Doha and will run until November 4, with the Kuwait national team participating. 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. This marks the largest participation in the tournament’s history.
The draw, held last September, divided the participating teams into two groups of five. Kuwait is placed in Group B alongside Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, and defending champions Saudi Arabia. Group A 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 Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.
Kuwait will kick off their campaign against Egypt at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium on the 20th of this month. The tournament officially starts today, Friday, at Grand Hamad Stadium with the opening match between Qatar and China. Grand Hamad Stadium, which has a capacity of 13,000 spectators, will also host the final on Wednesday, November 4.
The Kuwait Under-17 national team’s technical staff, led by coach Caiu Zanardi, has 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; and outfield players Baraq Al-Dhafiri, Badr Al-Daoud, Saad Al-Shamari, Dhiab 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 2026 Gulf Cup for Under-17 Football on the 9th of this month. Tickets are priced at 15 Qatari riyals (approximately $4) and are available 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.
