Heated Semifinals... at 'Gulf 27'

All eyes of the Gulf public are turning to the Saudi city of Jeddah on Saturday, where the finalists of the 27th edition of the Gulf Cup of Nations, “Khaleeji Al-Diyar Al-Arabiya,” will be determined following the two semi-final matches. The first semi-final pits the host nation, Saudi Arabia, against Qatar at the Inma Stadium, while the second sees the United Arab Emirates face Oman at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium.

As the teams in the “golden quartet” strive to reach the final and continue their battle for the trophy, they share a common trait: none has won the title in a long time. The Saudi national team has gone 23 years without a championship, the UAE side 13 years, and Qatar 12 years. Oman is considered the least likely to be crowned champions, having not won the title in nine years.

In the first match, Saudi Arabia faces Qatar, the favorite to win the title not only due to strong home support but also because of their impressive performances in Group A, where they secured three consecutive victories against Kuwait (1-0), Oman (3-0), and Iraq (2-0) without conceding a single goal.

Despite entering the tournament without several key stars, such as French-based left-back Saud Abdulhamid and captain Salem Al-Dawsari, Greek coach Giorgos Donis managed to assemble a solid lineup, introducing new elements like Hammam Al-Hamami and Abdullah Al-Salem, among others.

On the other side, Qatar is targeting the host nation with the aim of eliminating them from the tournament, as they have done on several previous occasions, most notably in the 2014 edition in Riyadh, when they defeated Saudi Arabia 2-1 in the final to claim their third title.

Al-Annabi (Qatar) qualified from Group B with two wins: a 2-0 victory over Bahrain and a narrow 1-0 win against Yemen, followed by a 1-1 draw with the UAE after securing their place in the next round.

Doubts surround the participation of Qatar’s star Akram Afif, who missed the last match due to injury. The two-time Asian Footballer of the Year has not delivered the expected level in this edition and missed a penalty kick against Yemen.

In the second match, the UAE appears favored to reach the final at the expense of their neighbor, Oman, following their strong performance in the group stage. They defeated Yemen 4-0 and Bahrain 3-0 before drawing 1-1 with Qatar after already securing qualification.

For their part, Oman struggled significantly to secure their spot in the semi-finals. Until the final matchday, the indicators favored Iraq, but the situation changed dramatically as Oman defeated Kuwait 3-1, while Iraq lost to Saudi Arabia. The two teams ended up level on all statistical fronts, including disciplinary records, forcing the tournament to resort to a coin toss for the first time in Gulf Cup history—a toss that favored Oman.