Before the launch of the Basra version… Who are the Gulf Cup champions?

Since the draw for the 25th Gulf Cup, which is hosted by the Iraqi city of Basra, the people of the Gulf have been waiting with anticipation for the launch of their own championship, especially after it was postponed for a long time due to the Corona pandemic, the World Cup qualifiers, and the Arab Cup, which will start on the sixth of next January.

Kuwait is the owner of the lion’s share in winning the Gulf title, as it won the cup on 10 occasions, while Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iraq have three titles, and Oman and the UAE have two titles, while Bahrain has one cup, and the Yemeni team remains the only one that did not achieve the title.

The 24th Gulf Cup, which was hosted by Qatar in 2019, went for the first time to Bahrain, after its unexpected victory over the Green Falcons in the final match 1/0.

Below, the Gulf Cup Federation website reviews the Gulf Cup champions throughout history

Gulf 23

The Omani national team was crowned the Gulf Cup Championship “Gulf 23” for the second time in its history, after defeating its Emirati brother 5/4 on penalties.

Gulf 22

The Qatari team achieved a surprise by defeating the hosts of the land, the Saudi team, and was crowned with the Gulf Cup 22 after an exciting match that ended 2/1 for Al Annabi.

Gulf 21

The UAE team achieved the second title in its history in the championship in 2013 in Bahrain, after defeating the Iraqi team with two goals to one.

Gulf 20

Yemen hosted the 2010 championship, and Kuwait’s Blue won the tenth title in its history by defeating Saudi Arabia’s Al-Akhdar with a clean goal scored by Walid Ali in extra time, to become the tournament’s most achiever.

Gulf 19

The owners of the land won the title, and the Omani Reds succeeded in the first coronation in its history in the Gulf 19, which was held in 2009, with a penalty shootout at the expense of the Saudi team.

Gulf 18

The Emirati White hosted the 2007 edition, and succeeded in winning the title for the first time in its history, after defeating the Omani Red with a clean goal scored by Ismail Matar.

Gulf 17

The Qatari team succeeded in being the 17th Gulf champion in 2004, which was hosted by Doha after defeating Oman on penalties, and the competitions were held for the first time in the two-group system after the participation of the Yemeni team, and the number of participating countries increased to 8 teams.

Gulf 16

The Sixteenth Gulf Cup Championship was held in the State of Kuwait, from December 26, 2003 to January 11, 2004. It is the first session to be held between two years, as the session began in late 2003 and ended in early 2004. All matches were held at the Kuwait Club Stadium, and the title of this tournament was won by the Saudi national team.

Gulf 15

The fifteenth Gulf Cup tournament was held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from January 16, 2002 to January 30, 2002. All matches were held at King Fahd International Stadium. The third and fourth place in this tournament was decided by drawing lots for the first time, as Kuwait’s national team equaled Bahrain’s national team in points and by goals difference too, so the organizing committee settled the third place by drawing lots, and the Kuwait national football team won it, while the land owners were crowned with the title.

Gulf 14

The Fourteenth Gulf Cup was held in the Kingdom of Bahrain, from October 30, 1998 to November 12, 1998, and all matches were held at the Bahrain National Stadium, and the title of this version was won by the Kuwait team.

Gulf 13

The thirteenth Gulf Cup was held in the Sultanate of Oman, from October 15, 1996 to October 28, 1996. All matches were held at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex Stadium in Bausher, and the title of this championship was won by the Kuwait national team.

Gulf 12

The twelfth Gulf Cup was held in the United Arab Emirates, from November 3, 1994 to November 16, 1994. All matches were held at Madinat Zayed International Stadium, and the Saudi national team won its title for the first time in its history.

Gulf 11

The eleventh Gulf Cup was held in the State of Qatar, from November 27, 1992 to December 10, 1992, in the midst of the absence of the Iraqi national team from participating. All matches were held at Khalifa Stadium in Doha, and the Qatari team won the title.

Gulf 10

The tenth Gulf Cup was held in the State of Kuwait, from February 21, 1990 to March 9, 1990. All matches were held at the Friendship and Peace Stadium. The Saudi national team was absent before the start of the tournament, and the Iraqi national team withdrew after the UAE match, and the Kuwaiti blue won the title.

Gulf 9

The ninth Gulf Cup tournament was held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from 2 to 18 March 1988, and all matches were held at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, and the Iraqi national team was crowned with the title of that version, and the Iraqi players Ahmed Radi and the Emirati Zuhair Bakhit won the title of top scorer in the tournament with a score of 4 Goals, while Iraqi Habib Jaafar won the title of best player in the tournament, and Omani goalkeeper Youssef Obaid won the title of best goalkeeper in the tournament.

Gulf 8

The eighth Gulf Cup tournament was held in Bahrain, to return to the place from which it started. The tournament was held from March 22 to April 7, 1986, and all matches were played at the Bahrain International Stadium. Fahd Khamis, with 6 goals, won the title of best player in the Kuwaiti championship, Moayad Al-Haddad, and won the title of best Bahraini goalkeeper, Mohammed Saleh.

Gulf 7

The seventh Gulf Cup was held in the Sultanate of Oman from 9 to 28 March 1984, and all matches were held at the Police Stadium. The Iraqi Hussein Saeed and the Omani Ghulam Khamis, while the Iraqi Fatah Nassif won the title of best goalkeeper.

Gulf 6

This tournament was held in the United Arab Emirates, from March 19 to April 4, 1982, and all matches were held at Madinat Zayed Stadium. Iraq in its match against the UAE national team.

Gulf 5

Iraq won the Gulf 5 title, which was held on its land from March 23 to April 9, 1979. All Gulf teams participated in this tournament, and the Iraqi national team was able to win its title after winning all its matches and inflicting the first defeat on the Kuwaiti national team since the start of the tournaments. Gulf three goals against one goal.

Gulf 4

Kuwait continued to dominate the title, and the fourth Gulf Cup tournament was held in the State of Qatar, from March 25 to April 15, 1976. Iraq participated in this tournament for the first time, bringing the number of teams participating in the Gulf Cup to seven countries. This tournament was held with a league system of One role, and this version was not decided except by the decisive match that brought together the teams of Kuwait and Iraq, and ended with Kuwait winning 4/2.

Gulf 3

The third Gulf Cup tournament was held in the State of Kuwait, from 15 to 29 March 1974, and all matches were held at the Kuwait Club Stadium. Kuwait, Qatar and Oman. As for the second group, it included Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Bahrain. The first two teams from each group qualified, and Kuwait won the title.

Gulf 2

The second Gulf Cup tournament was held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from March 15 to 25, 1972, at Al-Malaz Stadium in the city of Riyadh. To be tied on points with Saudi Arabia, but the goal difference decided the championship for Al-Azraq.

Gulf 1

The Gulf Cup 1970 is the first tournament in the Gulf Cup tournaments, and it was held in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Only four teams participated in this version: Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and Al-Azraq achieved it in its first title.