Kuwait faces Yemen in the final Gulf Cup test

17/09/2026

JEDDAH, Sept 17: Kuwait takes on Yemen in a closed-door friendly at 7:30 pm today at the Saudi Football Federation’s training grounds in its final test before the 27th Gulf Cup kicks off in Jeddah on September 23.

The national team will have a full squad available following the arrival of eight Kuwait Club players — Khaled Al-Rashidi, Saud Al-Houshan, Mohsen Falah, Reda Hani, Abdullah Al-Qurzaei, Ahmed Al-Dhafiri, Mohammed Daham and Yousef Nasser.

The eight missed Kuwait’s week-long training camp in Doha after staying with their club for its AFC Champions League Two match against Al-Wahda of the UAE two days ago. Kuwait won its only Doha friendly, beating Qatar’s Lusail 2-1.

Sousa is expected to use the Yemen match to assess the readiness of his squad, particularly the players who have recently joined the camp, while also checking the team’s overall fitness and tactical preparation.

Kuwait is in Group A with hosts Saudi Arabia, Oman and Iraq. They open against Saudi Arabia on September 23, meet Iraq on September 26, and conclude the group stage against Oman on September 29. Group B features defending champions Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar and Yemen.

Yemen, meanwhile, was the first team to arrive in Jeddah, reaching Saudi Arabia last Friday and immediately beginning their final preparations under Algerian coach Noureddine Ould Ali.

Several overseas-based players have joined the squad, including Kazma’s Nasser Mahdiouh, Al-Shabab’s Adel Abbas and Reykjavik’s Tareq Shehab.

Yemen is also awaiting the arrival of several other overseas-based players, including Forest Green Rovers striker Demani Mellor Al-Baghili, captain Abdulwasea Al-Matari of Iraq’s Diyala, Haroun Al-Zubaidi of Miami FC, Nawaf Abdullah of Bahrain’s Al-Malkiya, Nader Sahel of Saudi Arabia’s Bisha, Hamza Al-Raimi and Anis Al-Maari of Iraq’s Al-Gharraf, and Raouf Al-Sharaji of Hungary’s Debrecen.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff