Bahrain launches "The Campaign" with a strong match against Qatar
Jeddah – AFP – Bahrain, the defending champions, will kick off their campaign in the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup with a tough match against Qatar at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, while the United Arab Emirates seek their first victory in the tournament since the 2019 edition when they face Yemen in the opening match of Group Two on Thursday.
In the first match, Bahraini coach Croatian Dragan Talajic will rely on a group of key players who won the previous edition, including goalkeeper Ibrahim Lutfallah, Walid Al-Hayam, Mahdi Hamidan, Kamel Al-Aswad, and Ali Madan.
Conversely, the pressure appears greater on the Qatari team, which is expected to return to the Gulf spotlight after failing to win the title since 2014, following their disappointing performance at the 2026 World Cup.
Their Spanish coach, Julen Lopetegui, will embark on his first Gulf assignment, aiming to erase the image he left at the World Cup, where he was eliminated in the group stage.
The "Maroon" (Qatar) are counting on stability, as the technical staff have retained 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 their star player Akram Afif, who has been named Asia's Best Player twice, and their all-time top scorer Almoez Ali, alongside experienced players such as Khoukhi Boualem, Pedro Miguel, and captain Hassan Al-Haydos.
In previous editions of the tournament, the Qatari and Bahraini teams have met in 19 matches, with each side winning five encounters, while nine matches ended in draws. Qatar scored 16 goals compared to Bahrain's 12.
In the second match, the UAE team will begin their campaign against Yemen with the goal of a strong start that affirms their stated ambition to compete for the Gulf Cup title and secure a victory they have been waiting for for seven years.
The "White" (UAE) have suffered unprecedented negative results in the last three editions, as the 2007 and 2013 champions were eliminated in the group stage and have not tasted victory in their last eight matches since beating Yemen 3-0 on November 26, 2019, in the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup.
After earning three points and suffering two losses in the Doha edition, the UAE team recorded their worst performance in history in the 2023 edition in Iraq, earning one point from a draw and two losses, followed by two points in the previous edition in Doha after a loss and two draws. However, they enter the current edition with the ambition of at least reaching the final.
The hope rests on the "White" coach, Croatian Zlatko Dalic (59), the most successful coach in his country's history, having led Croatia to second place in the 2018 World Cup and third place in 2022, in addition to his Gulf experience, having previously coached Al-Fayha and Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia and Al-Ain in the UAE. He will lead a group of experienced players, most of whom played in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, where the "White" failed to repeat their 1990 feat of qualifying for the global football event for the second time after losing in the Asian playoff against Iraq.
For its part, the Yemeni team is seeking a historic, unprecedented victory since their first appearance in the tournament in 2003.
The team enters the tournament, led by Algerian coach Nour Eddine Ould Ali, bolstered by 10 players playing abroad, three of whom are in Iraq, two in Saudi Arabia, and one each in England, the United States, Hungary, Iceland, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
