The Saudi Women’s Premier League competitions, the official ball for the 2027 Asian Cup revealed, and the Saudi national team’s preparations to face Iraq in Gulf 27

The Saudi Women’s Premier League competitions will continue next Thursday, with Al-Ula facing its host Al-Hilal at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Stadium in Medina, in a confrontation that Al-Hilal team aspires to continue its victories and get closer to the lead, while Al-Ula is looking for the three points that will put it among the advanced positions.

The competitions will continue on Friday, when the league leader, Al-Qadisiyah, will face its counterpart, NEOM, at the Prince Saud bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium. In this match, Al-Qadisiyah will seek to maintain the lead, while NEOM will seek to escape from the relegation zone.

In Jeddah, Al-Ahly team hosts its counterpart Al-Nasr in a confrontation in which Al-Ahly is looking to break the series of stumbles, while Al-Nasr is looking for a way to return to the top spot.

The round's competitions will conclude on Saturday, with Esperance meeting with its guest, Al-Ittihad, in the city of Qatif, in a match in which Esperance aspires to achieve its first victory, while Al-Ittihad aspires to achieve an important victory to get closer to the lead.

Al-Qadisiyah leads the standings with nine points, followed by Al-Hilal, Al-Nasr and Al-Ittihad with the same score, while Al-Ahly is in fifth place with 4 points, Al-Ula is in sixth place with 3 points, and NEOM is in seventh place with one point, while Esperance occupies last place with no points.

Today (Tuesday), the Asian Football Confederation unveiled “Khuzama”, the official match ball for the “AFC Asian Cup 2027” matches in Saudi Arabia, coinciding with the start of the 100-day countdown to the start of the tournament, scheduled for the period from January 7 to February 5, 2027.

The name of the ball was inspired by the wild lavender plant that blooms in various parts of Saudi Arabia, as its design evokes the scene of nature’s transformation when lavender flowers bloom simultaneously. The distinctive purple color of the ball reflects the traditional color used on occasions to receive guests, in reference to the generous hospitality with which Saudi Arabia receives the teams, officials and fans participating in the continental championship.

The “Khuzama” design comes as an extension of the modern and bold visual identity of the 2027 Asian Cup, as the ball includes prominent geometric patterns centered around the “gate” element, one of the basic elements in the tournament’s visual identity, and inspired by the doors of traditional Najdi architecture.

This element, designed in a graduated diamond shape, surrounds the tournament logo on the ball, emulating the rhythm and openness of the region's traditional crafts. Dark violet, bright green and sandy shades were also used, which are colors derived directly from the official identity of the tournament, achieving visual harmony with the various elements of the event.

The ball is designed to provide the highest levels of performance, as the contrasting purple and white parts contribute to enhancing its visibility to players, referees and fans in various stadiums, whether during matches held during the day or under floodlights.

Datuk Seri Windsor John, Secretary-General of the Asian Football Confederation, said: “The unveiling of (Khuzama) represents a new and exciting milestone on our path towards the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. This ball embodies the unique spirit and rich legacy of the most important football tournaments on the continent, in addition to the warm hospitality that characterizes the host country.”

He added: “We are pleased to collaborate with (Kelme) to present a ball that combines cultural storytelling with world-class technical engineering, allowing our best players to perform to their fullest potential on the biggest stages of Asian football.”

For his part, Qi Yongxiang, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kelme, expressed his pride in unveiling the official ball for the tournament for the second time in a row, after providing the last edition of the Asian Cup with the official ball.

He said: “(Khuzama) was inspired by the wild lavender plant spread throughout Saudi Arabia, and the warm violet tones in the local heritage, to embody the spirit and identity of the host country.”

He pointed out that the high-contrast purple and white parts provide distinct clarity in various lighting conditions, while the aerodynamic design ensures a stable path for the ball and a better response when touched by the players.

He added: “We believe that (Khuzama) will not only contribute to enhancing performance on the field, but will make every match a celebration of the passion, unity and excellence of Asian football.”

In turn, Patrick Murphy, CEO of the Asia Football Group, said: “(Khuzama) is not just an essential element in the game of football, but rather a vibrant expression of the tournament’s identity and the welcoming spirit that characterizes the host country. As always, we are proud to partner with Kelme to transform this design into reality in the most important Asian football tournaments.”

The Saudi national team will face its Iraqi counterpart, on Tuesday, with the ambition of finishing the group stage with a full score, when the two teams meet at Al-Enma Stadium in Jeddah, in the third and final round of the first group competitions of the Arabian Gulf Football Cup (Gulf 27), in a match that decides the identity of the group leader, while Oman clings to its last chance when it faces Kuwait at the same time at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium.

“Al-Akhdar” secured a pass to the semi-finals after collecting six points from two consecutive victories against Kuwait and Oman, while Iraq enters the confrontation with four points in its balance, looking to secure its qualification and seize the top spot in the group.

A draw is enough for the Saudi team to finish the group stage in first place, and a draw also guarantees Iraq a qualification card, while the “Lions of Mesopotamia” needs a victory to seize the lead.

On the other hand, Oman faces its counterpart, Kuwait, with the ambition of victory and waiting for Iraq to lose to Saudi Arabia to ensure accompanying “Al-Akhdar” to the semi-finals. Oman has one point, while Kuwait exited the competition after two consecutive losses, and Iraq outperforms Oman by goal difference of “+1 to -3.”

The Saudi national team made an ideal start, as it achieved two victories without conceding a goal, starting with a victory over Kuwait with a free goal, before beating Oman by three clean goals in a match that was decided during the first half, after Firas Al-Braikan scored two goals and Hassan Kadish added the third.

“Al-Akhdar” is looking forward to achieving its third victory in a row, despite the technical staff’s tendency to make changes to the lineup in light of ensuring qualification and the presence of a number of injuries.

Seraphim Angelinas, assistant to Greek coach Giorgos Donis, confirmed that the technical staff will give the opportunity to some new elements against Iraq, with the team’s goal continuing to achieve victory and finish the group in the lead. Denis missed the press conference due to his illness, according to his assistant.

The Saudi national team is missing the services of Alaa Al Hajji, Ali Lagami and Hassan Kadish due to injuries, after the latter suffered a thigh injury against Oman that forced him to leave in the 63rd minute, while the national team had previously lost the services of goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi.

Firas Al-Braikan stands out among the most important Saudi attacking cards after he scored a brace against Oman, at a time when the team showed greater offensive effectiveness compared to the opening match against Kuwait.

On the other hand, Iraq enters the confrontation ecstatic about its exciting victory over Kuwait 3-2, after Karar Nabil scored the winning goal in the ninth minute of stoppage time, bringing the “Lions of Mesopotamia” to four points after a 1-1 draw against Oman.

The victory gave Iraq a morale boost after it entered the tournament without any victory in its previous six matches, and also lost its three matches in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup to Norway, France and Senegal.

Australian Graham Arnold, Iraq's coach, sought to keep his players away from the pressure, as he closed the training session to the media and prevented press interviews before the confrontation.

Iraq faces a challenge related to yellow cards, as seven of its players carry warnings that they received against Oman and Kuwait, and they are Ibrahim Bayesh, Zaid Tahseen, Muhammad Qasim, Amir Al-Amari, Ahmed Qasim, Youssef Al-Nasrawi, and Karar Nabil, while Hussein Ali is absent due to a health problem.

The confrontations between Saudi Arabia and Iraq carry a long history of competition, as the two teams met 38 times, during which Iraq achieved 17 victories compared to 11 victories for Saudi Arabia, and 10 confrontations ended in a draw, and Iraq scored 56 goals compared to 34 for “Al-Akhdar”.

As for the Gulf Cup, the two teams met 10 times, according to the statistics of the Saudi national team website, during which Iraq achieved six victories compared to three for Saudi Arabia and one draw, and Iraq scored 22 goals versus eight Saudi goals.

In the second match, Oman entered the match against Kuwait with the slogan of victory alone, after drawing with Iraq 1-1 and losing to Saudi Arabia 0-3, while “Blue” bid farewell to the competition after losing to Saudi Arabia 0-1 and Iraq 2-3.

The recent direct confrontations give an advantage to Oman, which achieved eight victories in the last 11 confrontations against Kuwait since 2009, compared to one Kuwaiti victory and two draws. The last Omani victory was 1-0 in the World Cup qualifiers in March 2025, while their confrontation in the Gulf Cup in 2024 ended in a 1-1 draw.

Abdul Wahab Al-Awadhi will be absent from Kuwait after his expulsion against Iraq, while the Omani national team is seeking to regain its balance after achieving only three victories in its international matches since September 2025.

Moroccan Tariq Al-Saktiwi, coach of Oman, said before the confrontation: “A very important match for us, and as long as there is hope of qualifying, we will work on it 100 percent.” We have short-term and long-term goals, and facing tomorrow is important to achieve one of the goals that will help us in the future.”

The group enters its decisive round with clear calculations. Saudi Arabia has secured qualification and is looking for the full mark and the lead, and Iraq needs one point to accompany it, while Oman has no choice but to win over Kuwait and wait for a Saudi victory over the “Lions of Mesopotamia.”