Gulf Cup 27: Saudi-Kuwait Derby and Iraq-Oman Summit Open Jeddah Competitions

Kuwait holds the record for the number of tournament titles with ten, but has been waiting for the title since "Gulf Cup 20" in Yemen in 2010, when they defeated Saudi Arabia in the final match with a goal by Waleed Ali after extra time.

As for Saudi Arabia, they have won the title three times, the last of which was on Kuwaiti soil in 2003, and they are seeking to regain the cup of the competition hosted by Jeddah until October 6, relying on the factors of home ground and the public.

Saudi Arabia enters the competition under the leadership of Greek coach Yorgos Donis, who has chosen a list that combines experience and youth led by Firas Al-Burikan, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, and Mohammed Al-Qahtani, along with brothers Mohammed and Saleh Abu Al-Shamat.

The Saudi list witnessed a last-minute change with the exclusion of midfielder Mosaab Al-Jawair for disciplinary reasons and the call-up of Mukhtar Ali instead, while a number of names that participated with the "Green" in previous commitments, especially their captain and Al-Hilal's Salem Al-Dawsari, were absent due to injury.

Donis focused during the recent training sessions on tactical aspects, possession, and transitions between defense and attack, in an attempt to reach the highest levels of readiness before the start.

In contrast, the Kuwaiti team arrives in Jeddah after a training camp in Doha, during which they played two friendly matches against Lusail team and the Yemeni national team.

Kuwait's preparations coincided with the involvement of some of its players in participating with Al-Kuwait Club in Asian commitments, before completing its ranks in the last phase of the camp, a period during which Portuguese coach Helio Sousa sought to raise the level of harmony among his elements.

Sousa, in turn, relies on a group that combines experience and youth led by Youssef Nasser, Shebib Al-Khalidi, and Mohammed Daham, along with Ahmed Al-Dhafiri and Reda Hani in the midfield, while the absence of some names, most notably Al-Arabi's striker Ali Khalaf, stands out.

- A heated summit between Iraq and Oman -

Iraq will start its 18th participation with a heated summit against Oman at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah.

Iraq hopes to achieve a positive start, relying on technical stability in the presence of its Australian coach Graham Arnold, who will complete the journey after leading them to the 2026 World Cup last summer after a four-decade absence.

Arnold renewed the ranks of the Lions of Mesopotamia by including several new faces due to their excellence in the league and carefully selected his elements.

The 63-year-old Australian coach decided to keep striker Ayman Hussein (Bukhtakor Uzbek) as the captain of his team in the Gulf mission in his quest to find a stable combination in the lines of the Lions of Mesopotamia, hoping to restructure the team leading up to the Asian Cup at the beginning of next year in Saudi Arabia as well, focusing on achieving a strong and positive start as it gives the players a morale boost to continue performing at their best.

The Omani team will not be an easy prey for Iraq, especially since it reached the final of the Gulf Cup 2023 in Basra and lost to the host team 2-3 after extra time, before losing the final of the Gulf Cup 2024 in Kuwait to Bahrain 1-2.

Iraq and Oman have met 12 times in the Gulf Cup, with the former winning five times, the latter twice, and drawing four times.