Khaleeji 27 Draw Ceremony to Take Place on Tuesday

The official draw ceremony for the 27th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup “Khaleeji 27” will take place next Tuesday, May 19, 2026, ahead of the tournament hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from September 23 to October 6, 2026.

The draw ceremony will be held at 4:00 PM at Culture Square – the Art Center of the Red Sea International Film Festival in Historic Jeddah, in the presence of His Excellency Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, President of the Gulf Cup Football Federation, Mr. Yasser Al Misehal, President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, alongside several federation officials, representatives of the eight participating national teams, and a number of former Gulf football stars.

All participating football associations have confirmed their attendance at the draw ceremony, in addition to the participation of several national team managers and head coaches.

Preparations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have intensified ahead of the tournament draw ceremony, with coordination meetings continuing in preparation for the event.

Mr. Jassim Sultan Al Rumaihi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cup Football Federation, and the accompanying delegation had previously arrived in Jeddah to attend the draw ceremony and finalize all related organizational arrangements.

Khaleeji 27, which will be hosted in Jeddah at King Abdullah Sports City and Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, will mark the fifth edition of the tournament under the umbrella of the Gulf Cup Football Federation. The tournament will feature eight participating national teams: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, the host nation Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, and Yemen.

According to the tournament regulations, the teams will be distributed into four pots based on the latest FIFA World Ranking issued on April 1, 2026. Pot 1 includes Qatar (55th globally) and Iraq (57th globally), while Pot 2 includes Saudi Arabia (61st globally) and the United Arab Emirates (68th globally). Pot 3 includes Oman (79th globally) and Bahrain (91st globally), while Pot 4 consists of Kuwait (134th globally) and Yemen (149th globally).

Under the draw mechanism, one team from each pot will be drawn into each group, ensuring that teams from the same pot do not face each other in the group stage.

Host nation Saudi Arabia will be seeded at the top of Group A and will contest the tournament’s opening match, while the United Arab Emirates, placed in the corresponding seeding position, will head Group B.

According to the tournament format, the teams will be divided into two groups of four teams each, competing in a single round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, where the winner of Group A will face the runner-up of Group B, while the winner of Group B will face the runner-up of Group A. The winners of the semi-finals will then advance to the final, where the tournament champion will be crowned.

On the sidelines of the draw ceremony, meetings of several Gulf Cup Football Federation committees will also take place, including the Competitions Committee, Referees Committee, and Media Committee, to discuss a number of operational matters and work programs during the upcoming phase leading to the start of the tournament.

Since its inception nearly 56 years ago, specifically in 1970 when Bahrain hosted the inaugural edition, the Arabian Gulf Cup has enjoyed a special place and widespread popularity among Gulf audiences. The tournament continues to reflect the values of brotherhood and unity among the peoples of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, combining sporting competition with strong social and cultural dimensions.

It is worth noting that Saudi Arabia has previously hosted the Gulf Cup on four occasions: in 1972, 1988, 2002, and 2014.