It took only 37 days for Badr Al-Raziza, President of the Saudi Football Federation, to witness the first title of the first Saudi national team during his presidency, after “Al-Akhdar” won the Gulf Cup in Jeddah, in a golden beginning of the new administrative era.
The General Assembly of the Saudi Football Federation approved Al-Ruzaiza as president on August 30, to lead the federation in its new session extending until 2030, before October 6 comes, bringing the first coronation of the senior team during his reign.
There were only 37 days between the date of the recommendation and the night of raising the cup, during which the new administrative beginning turned into a podium, with the Saudi national team regaining the Gulf title and ending a wait that extended for more than two decades.
The value of the title does not stop at being the first championship under the new president; It gives the Saudi Federation an important moral start in a four-year cycle, and precedes a group of major entitlements that await Saudi football at the senior team level.
While the title is recorded as the first for the team during Al-Ruzaiza’s presidency, the achievement remains the result of integrated work by the players, the technical and administrative staff, and all the stages of preparation that preceded the tournament, while the cup represents the first major title for the new stage.
Throughout its history, the moments of the Saudi team winning the Gulf Cup were linked to four leaders who carried the cup in four immortal stations, which began in the Emirates in 1994 and ended in Jeddah in 2026, in a scene that brings together different generations of green stars.
The beginning was with Fouad Anwar, who led the Saudi national team to the “Gulf 12” title in the Emirates in 1994, becoming the first Saudi captain to lift the Gulf Cup, in the tournament in which Al-Akhdar won the title for the second time in its history.
Eight years later, it was the turn of Sami Al-Jaber, who carried the captaincy of Al-Akhdar during the “Gulf 15” in Riyadh in 2002, and raised the cup in front of the Saudi fans, leading a new generation to the podium.
In the “Gulf 16” in Kuwait in 2003, Khamis Al-Owairan, may God have mercy on him, was the third Saudi captain whose name is associated with lifting the Gulf Cup, adding a new chapter to the record of the Green leaders in the tournament.
As for the fourth stop, it came in Jeddah in 2026, when Mohammed Al Owais carried the cup as captain of the Saudi national team after winning the “Gulf 27” title, becoming the fourth Saudi captain to lift the championship, after Fouad Anwar, Sami Al Jaber and Khamis Al Owairan.
Between the UAE 1994, Riyadh 2002, Kuwait 2003, and Jeddah 2026, names and generations change, but the scene remains the same: a Saudi leader holding the Gulf Cup aloft, and immortalizing his name in the record of green champions.
In a language that conveyed welcome and love, Jeddah bid farewell to the Arabian Gulf Cup competitions, “Gulf 27,” with a singing operetta that brought together the tournament countries in one word, and restored the spirit of the Gulf gathering through clips allocated to each team, before the story concluded with Saudi Arabia “hugging its guests in Jeddah.”
The operetta had a title and meaning based on “the memory of lovers,” as its words were closer to a farewell message after days of competition, which began with a collective greeting to the tournament’s guests: “Peace, peace, you who have come to us... my loved ones, you have honored us,” in a scene that placed Gulf ties at the forefront of the closing ceremony, far from the results of the matches and the calculations of wins and losses.
The words were passed between the participating teams, giving each country a special space in the operetta. The Emirates came with the phrase, “The pulse of the Emirates is my pulse,” before Bahrain came in the clip, “I have not seen the Bahraini... my eyes match mine,” then Oman with the phrase, “My beloved Omani came to me... I am honored, by God, in my place.”
As the operetta continued, Iraq was present in the words, “Your presence is high and elegant... and love is for you, Iraqi,” while Qatar was described as “beloved” with words that included a wind of happiness and goodness. This is our beloved Qatar. The welcome to Kuwait came through the phrase, “From me and in me, the Kuwaiti enlightened my home and my home,” before Yemen was present in the clip, “I accept, honor, and come to me. Long live Yemen and the Yemeni.”
After passing through the guests of the tournament, the words reached the host country, summarizing the image of hosting in the phrase, “This Saudi and his glory... embraces his guests in Jeddah,” before returning to the main refrain, “You remain in the memory of lovers... Gulf twenty-seven.”
The words of the ceremony chose to make the farewell an extension of the reception. Just as the teams came to Jeddah in search of competition, they left with the operetta dedicating a single message to them, while the Saudi phrase remained at its conclusion, summarizing an image that the party wanted for the tournament: “This Saudi and his glory... embracing his guests in Jeddah.”
