The coaching staffs of several teams competing in the Gulf Cup 27 have finalised their squads for the tournament, which will be held in the Saudi city of Jeddah from 23 September to 6 October 2026, with eight teams divided into two groups.
Teams and groups for Gulf Cup 27
Group A comprises hosts Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Kuwait, while the draw placed Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Yemen in Group B. Bahrain enter the competition as holders of the previous edition, Gulf Cup 26. Saudi Arabia manager Georgios Donis, from Greece, has selected a squad based on young players from domestic league clubs, with Salem Al-Dawsari absent.
Nawaf Al-Aqidi and Mohammed Al-Owais are the goalkeepers, while the defence features Hassan Tambakti, Abdulilah Al-Amri and Hassan Kadesh. In midfield are Mohammed Kanno, Musab Al-Juwayr and Abdullah Al-Khaibari. The attack is led by Firas Al-Buraikan, Abdullah Al-Hamdan and Abdullah Al-Salem.
Iraq select 26-player squad
Qatar manager Julen Lopetegui of Spain announced a 24-player squad featuring Akram Afif, Almoez Ali, Hassan Al-Haydos and Boualem Khoukhi, as well as Edmilson Junior, Assim Madibo and Abdulaziz Hatem. Lopetegui selected Meshaal Barsham and Salah Zakaria as goalkeepers, in an attempt to reclaim the Gulf title after an absence of 12 years.
Bahrain will compete with a squad structure close to that of the team that won the previous edition. The goalkeepers are Ibrahim Lutfalla and Sayed Shubbar Alawi, while the defence is led by Waleed Al-Hayam, Amin Benaddi and Hamad Shamsan. In midfield are Kamil Al-Aswad, Ali Madan, Jasim Al-Shaikh and Sayed Dhiya Saeed, while the attack relies on Abdullah Yusuf and Mahdi Abduljabbar.
The United Arab Emirates began their camp in Abu Dhabi ahead of their first competitive test under Croatian manager Zlatko Dalic. Dalic selected 26 players, including goalkeeper Khalid Eisa and defenders Sasha Ivkovic, Khalifa Al-Hammadi and Lucas Pimenta.
The squad also includes Fabio de Lima, Nicolas Gimenez and Harib Abdullah in midfield, with Sultan Adil, Othman Kamara and Ali Saleh in attack.
