... "Welcome, Welcome to the Gulf"

Under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and in the presence of the Deputy Emir of Makkah, Prince Saud bin Mishal, the opening ceremony of the 27th edition of the Gulf Cup football tournament, “Khaleeji Al-Diyar Al-Arabiya 27,” was held today, Wednesday, at Al-Anma Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The ceremony featured a cultural segment coinciding with Saudi Arabia’s National Day, which was celebrated yesterday, as well as a musical performance by artist Sultan Al-Murshed, who sang “Ahlan Ahlan Bil-Khaleej” (Welcome, Welcome to the Gulf), the official anthem of the tournament. The event was hosted by Khaled Al-Arafah.

The ceremony included musical performances during which the eight participating national teams were presented, alongside a display of the flags of the participating countries, a scene that symbolized the bonds uniting the people of the region under the umbrella of the Gulf tournament.

Former stars representing the eight participating teams took part in the ceremony, with one player from each squad: Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Nour, Oman’s Imad Al-Hosni, Yemen’s Ali Al-Nounou, Kuwait’s Fahad Al-Ansari, Qatar’s Ibrahim Khalfan, UAE’s Fahad Khamis, Iraq’s Hussein Saeed, and Bahrain’s Hamad Sultan.

The ceremony concluded with visual and technical displays on the pitch, featuring laser shows, lighting effects, and fireworks. The official tournament logo and the championship trophy were unveiled as part of the presentation, amid enthusiastic reactions from the large crowd gathered at the “Jawhara” (Jeddah Superdome) stadium.