Gulf Cup Football Federation Competitions Committee Approves the Draw Mechanism for “Khaleeji 27”
The Competitions Committee of the Gulf Cup Football Federation held its meeting today at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, chaired by Dr. Khalid Abdulaziz bin Muqrin, on the sidelines of the draw ceremony for the 27th edition of the tournament, Khaleeji 27, which is scheduled to take place tomorrow, Tuesday, at Culture Square – the Art Center of the Red Sea International Film Festival in Historic Jeddah.
The meeting was chaired by Dr. Khalid Abdulaziz bin Muqrin and attended by Mr. Mohammed Hazza Al Dhaheri, Vice Chairman of the Committee, together with committee members Ahmed Mohammed Al Harmi, Qutaiba Al Ghilani, Rashid Al Zaabi, Mohammed Farhan Obeid, Ayman Al Husseini, and Hussam Al Sanabani. The meeting was also attended by Hamad Al Manaei, Competitions Director, Faisal Al Malik, Marketing Director, and Mohammed Al Khamisi, Committee Rapporteur.
During the meeting, the committee approved the official draw mechanism, whereby one national team from each pot will be drawn into each group, ensuring that teams placed in the same pot will not face each other during the group stage.
In accordance with the tournament regulations, the participating teams will be distributed into four pots based on the latest FIFA World Ranking issued on April 1, 2026, as follows:
- Pot 1: Qatar and Iraq
- Pot 2: Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
- Pot 3: Oman and Bahrain
- Pot 4: Kuwait and Yemen
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.
Dr. Khalid Abdulaziz bin Muqrin, Chairman of the Competitions Committee of the Gulf Cup Football Federation, confirmed that the meeting resulted in the approval of the draw mechanism based on the latest FIFA rankings, in addition to approving the criteria related to match commissioners for the tournament through the Gulf member associations.
Dr. Khalid Abdulaziz bin Muqrin further noted that the meeting reviewed a number of agenda items, including proposals and development initiatives aimed at enhancing the Gulf Clubs Champions League.