The 27th Arabian Gulf Cup, also known as "Khaleeji 27," is set to begin today, September 23, and will continue until October 6. The tournament has garnered significant attention from Arab football fans, who are eager to know which channels will be broadcasting the matches and the schedule for the first round. The opening ceremony will take place at the Al-Inmā' Stadium, featuring several celebratory segments, including a tribute to Saudi National Day.
The opening ceremony of Khaleeji 27 will feature a number of prominent stars from the eight participating teams, including Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Noor, Bahrain's Hamood Sultan, Yemen's Ali Al-Nono, Qatar's Ibrahim Khalfan, Kuwait's Fahd Al-Ansari, the UAE's Fahd Khamees, and Iraq's Hussein Saeed. The first match of the tournament will see Iraq face Oman at 5:30 PM Cairo time, while Saudi Arabia will take on Kuwait at 9:00 PM.
A total of eight channels have been announced to be broadcasting the matches of Khaleeji 27, including Abu Dhabi Sports Channels, Al Kass Sports Channel from Qatar, Saudi Sports Channels, Iraqi Sports Channel, Oman Sports Channel, Bahrain Sports Channel, Dubai Sports Channels, and Thamanya Saudi Channel. Fans can watch the matches live on these channels.
The teams participating in Khaleeji 27 have been divided into two groups. Group One consists of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Kuwait, while Group Two comprises Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, and Yemen. The tournament schedule is as follows: in the first round, Saudi Arabia will play against Kuwait, Iraq will face Oman, the UAE will take on Yemen, and Qatar will play against Bahrain.
The second round of matches will see Kuwait face Iraq, Oman take on Saudi Arabia, Yemen play against Qatar, and Bahrain face the UAE. In the third round, Saudi Arabia will play against Iraq, Oman will face Kuwait, the UAE will take on Qatar, and Bahrain will play against Yemen.
The semi-finals of Khaleeji 27 are scheduled to take place on October 3, with the first match between the winners of Group One and the runners-up of Group Two, and the second match between the winners of Group Two and the runners-up of Group One. The final match will be held on a later date, which will be determined after the semi-finals.
All teams are aiming to win the championship, which is being held for the first time in Jeddah. The historical record of Gulf Cup winners shows that Kuwait has won 10 times, Iraq has won four times, Saudi Arabia has won three times, Qatar has won three times, Bahrain has won twice, Oman has won twice, the UAE has won twice, and Yemen has not won any times.
Key points
- Eight free channels will broadcast the matches of Khaleeji 27.
- The tournament will feature eight participating teams divided into two groups.
- The semi-finals of Khaleeji 27 are scheduled to take place on October 3.
