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.”
