Sports
Saudi Arabia and the UAE clash in the Arabian Gulf Cup final
October 6, 2026 at 06:09 PM · Updated 10d ago
10 reports · over 22 hours
Saudi Arabia host the UAE on Tuesday at Jeddah's Al-Inmaa Stadium in the Arabian Gulf Cup (Khaleeji 27) final, with kickoff set for 9pm.
- Saudi Arabia reached the final by topping their group with nine points and beating Qatar 3-2 on penalties in the semifinal.
- The UAE topped their group with seven points and beat Oman 1-0 in the semifinal to reach the decider.
- Saudi coach Georgios Donis named a three-man midfield for the first time in the tournament and recalled defender Hassan Tembukti.
- The Gulf Football Union assigned Moroccan referee Jalal Jayed to officiate the final.
- The Best Player award, named after Prince Khalid al-Faisal, will be announced after the final, with a residential unit as the prize.
- In the 38th minute, the referee awarded the UAE a penalty before overturning it after a VAR review when Bruno Oliveira fell in the box.
- Egyptian refereeing expert Mohamed Kamal Risha backed the VAR decision, saying Oliveira fell without sufficient contact from Hassan Tumbukti.










