Saudi Arabia tops Group 1 and qualifies for Gulf Cup semi-finals

The Saudi Arabia national football team secured qualification for the Gulf Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Iraq on Tuesday. Abdullah Al Salem opened the scoring in the 54th minute, with Abdullah Al Hamdan adding the second in the 69th.

The team now prepares to face Palestine on January 7, 2027, as part of its World Cup qualifying preparations. Saudi Arabia currently sits fourth in its World Cup qualifying group with two points from three matches.

Perfect Group Stage Run

Saudi Arabia topped Group 1 of the Gulf Cup with a perfect nine points from three matches. The campaign began with a narrow 1-0 win over Kuwait, followed by a 3-0 thrashing of Oman, and concluded with the victory over Iraq. Goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais kept a clean sheet in all three games, while the team scored six goals.

Commentator Khalil Al-Bloushi said on Al Kass 1 channel: 'The defensive performance was excellent and is the foundation of the qualification.' Musa Eid added on Sharjah Sports that 'the team is showing clear development under the guidance of Georgios Donis.'

Preparations for the Next Phase

With qualification assured, coach Donis can manage workloads and consider optimal lineups for the knockout stages. The team is in strong form, with three wins and one draw in its last five official matches. From those matches, the team has taken 10 points from the available 15. Fans can follow all the team's upcoming details on our fixtures page.

Saudi Arabia concludes its Gulf Cup group stage campaign with three wins from three and no goals conceded, continuing its march towards the tournament title.

The report in full is at المصري اليوم