Saudi Arabia Win Arabian Gulf Cup
Saudi Arabia defeated the United Arab Emirates 2–0 in the final of the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup on October 6, 2026, at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, to lift their 4th title and the first after 23 years.
The Green Falcons’ 4th Title
Winners in 1994, 2002,2003-4 and 2026, the Green Falcons became the second nation after Iraq to win 4 titles, with only Kuwait above them, perched at the top with a mammoth 10 titles.
Early Blitz
Both goals in Saudi Arabia’s 2–0 victory over the UAE in the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup final arrived during an explosive opening 15-minute spell at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.
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Detailed Breakdown of the Two Goals
1st Goal – Hammam Al-Hammami (11′)
Saudi Arabia opened the scoring off a play from the edge of the penalty box. Hammam Al-Hammami gathered the ball outside the penalty area and let fly with a powerful strike. His attempt took a sharp deflection off an Emirati defender, which completely wrong-footed UAE goalkeeper Khalid Eisa. The ball trickled past the stranded keeper and into the net to give the hosts a 1–0 lead.
2nd Goal – Firas Al-Buraikan (13′)
Just two minutes later, Saudi Arabia struck on a quick counter-attack. Moving the ball forward inside the UAE half, Nasser Al-Dawsari released Firas Al-Buraikan into space behind the Emirati backline. Al-Buraikan stayed composed inside the box, sliding a low, left-footed finish across Khalid Eisa and into the far corner to make it 2–0.
UAE’s Match Performance
The UAE struggled early on under head coach Zlatko Dalić, looking rattled by the hostile capacity crowd of 60,000 in Jeddah and the early two-goal blitz.
Slow Start & Defensive Lapses: The defence was caught flat-footed in the opening 15 minutes, allowing Saudi Arabia to dominate transition play and nearly concede a third when Saleh Abu Al-Shamat hit the post.
Attacking Intent & Unlucky Finishing: After recovering from the early shock, the UAE pushed forward aggressively in both halves. Attacker Nicolas Giménez was their central threat but lacked fortune, hitting the woodwork twice, once in the first half and again off the crossbar in the second.
VAR Controversy: The UAE were awarded a penalty in an attempt to spark a comeback, but the decision was overturned by VAR after Giménez was judged to have dived.
A Clean Sheet For Saudi Arabia
Despite creating clear opportunities in the second half, the UAE failed to breach Saudi Arabia’s defence, finishing as runners-up as Saudi Arabia completed the tournament without conceding a single goal.
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