Kuwait holds the record for the number of tournament titles with ten, but has been waiting for a coronation since "Gulf Cup 20" in Yemen in 2010, when it defeated Saudi Arabia in the final match with a goal by Waleed Ali after extra time.
As for Saudi Arabia, it has won the title three times, the last of which was on Kuwaiti soil in 2003, and it seeks to reclaim the cup of the competition, which Jeddah is hosting until October 6, relying on the home advantage and the fans.
Saudi Arabia enters the competitions led by Greek coach Giorgos Donis, who chose a squad combining experience and youth, led by Firas Al-Buraikan, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, and Mohammed Al-Qahtani, in addition to brothers Mohammed and Saleh Abu Al-Shamat.
The Saudi squad witnessed a last-minute change with the exclusion of midfielder Musab Al-Juwayr for disciplinary reasons and the summoning of Mukhtar Ali in his place, while a number of names that participated with "Al-Akhdar" in previous duties are absent, most notably its captain and Al-Hilal player Salem Al-Dawsari due to injury.
The Executive Director of the Saudi national team, Fahad Al-Mufarrij, commented on the exclusion of Al-Juwayr in press statements, saying: "Musab Al-Juwayr is one of the promising talents, and we have clear regulations and systems, but he violated them and was punished, and the details of the violation will remain an internal matter."
Al-Mufarrij denied that the reason for the exclusion was a dinner meal, saying: "It does not reach that extent. Is a player excluded because of a meal? The decision came as a result of repeating the violation," adding, "We need everyone, and there is confidence in everyone. Musab is one of the influential and important elements for the coach and the national team, but we have a system and regulations, and I believe that everyone does not want the national team to become chaotic."
During the final training sessions, Donis focused on tactical aspects, possession, and the transition between defense and attack, in an attempt to reach the highest levels of readiness before the kickoff.
On the other hand, the Kuwaiti national team arrives in Jeddah after a training camp in Doha, during which it played two friendly matches against the Lusail team and the Yemen national team.
Kuwait's preparations coincided with the commitment of a number of its players to participate with Kuwait SC in Asian competitions, before the squad was completed in the final stage of the camp, a period during which Portuguese coach Hélio Sousa sought to raise the degree of harmony among his elements.
Sousa, in turn, relies on a group that combines experience and youth, led by Yousef Nasser, Shabib Al-Khaldi, and Mohammed Daham, in addition to Ahmed Al-Dhefiri and Reda Hani in the midfield, while the absence of some names stands out, most notably Al-Arabi striker Ali Khalaf.
Former international Mohammed Karam, one of the members of the Kuwait national team that participated in the 1982 World Cup, told Agence France-Presse: "The Kuwaiti national team is capable, even in the most difficult circumstances, of providing a distinguished level in the Gulf tournaments. It is true that the absence of some names, especially Ali Khalaf, may be influential, but I trust the capabilities of the combination chosen by coach Sousa."
He added, "The advantage of the land and the fans for the Saudi national team will be met by the men of Al-Azraq with high spirits and unparalleled enthusiasm. The kickoff will be extremely important, because it is capable of giving the Kuwaiti national team great confidence in the coming matches."
Heated summit between Iraq and Oman
Iraq begins 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 light of the presence of its Australian coach Graham Arnold, who will continue the journey after the experience of leading it to the 2026 World Cup last summer after an absence of four decades.
Arnold renewed the ranks of the Lions of Mesopotamia by including many new faces thanks to their excellence in the league and chose his elements carefully.
The 63-year-old Australian coach decided to keep striker Aymen Hussein (Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor) as captain of his battalion in the Gulf mission in his quest to find a stable combination in the lines of the Lions of Mesopotamia, hoping to restructure the national team leading up to the Asian Cup early next year in Saudi Arabia as well, with a focus on achieving a strong and positive start as it gives the players a morale boost to continue providing the best.
Former international Haidar Mahmoud told Agence France-Presse, "Any coach always relies on the start of the journey in any tournament, but after the changes made by Arnold and the inclusion of new faces to bolster the ranks of the national team, it is a positive thing that will be in the interest of the national team in the long run."
Mahmoud, who represented Iraq in the 2004 Gulf Cup in Doha, indicated, "Despite the attack on social media regarding the coach's choices for a number of names that do not deserve to be with the Iraq national team, the coach has a technical perspective and in the end, he is the one who bears the results of his choices."
He continued, "One cannot underestimate the Sultanate of Oman national team at all, as it is a team that always appears in Gulf tournaments with a strong and stubborn performance, completely different from its state in the continental qualifiers."
The Omani national team will not be an easy prey for Iraq, especially since it reached the 2023 Gulf Cup final in Basra and lost to the host 2-3 after extra time, before losing the 2024 Gulf Cup final in Kuwait to Bahrain 1-2.
Iraq and Oman have met 12 times in the Gulf Cup, with the former winning five times against two for the latter, and they have drawn four times.
