Saudi Arabia eyes fourth Gulf Cup title against UAE

A file photo of Saudi and UAE players in action.

JEDDAH, Oct 5: Saudi Arabia and the UAE meet tonight for the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup title, with kickoff at 9:00 pm at Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah.

Saudi Arabia is chasing a fourth Gulf Cup crown, while the UAE is targeting its third.

The host reached the final after topping their group with a perfect record and without conceding a goal. They then defeated Qatar 3-2 on penalties after a goalless semifinal.

The UAE topped its group with seven points from two wins and a draw before edging Oman 1-0 in the other semifinal.

Tonight’s final will be the 33rd meeting between the two sides across all competitions. Saudi Arabia holds the advantage with 19 wins, compared with six for the UAE, while seven encounters have ended in draws.

Their most recent meeting came in the third-place playoff at the 2025 Arab Cup in Qatar. The game was goalless before being abandoned because of bad weather, with FIFA subsequently awarding both teams the bronze medal.

In Gulf Cup history, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have met 18 times, with Saudi Arabia winning 11, the UAE three, and four matches ending in draws. Saudi Arabia has scored 28 goals in those encounters, compared with 11 for the UAE.

Saudi Arabia has won three Gulf Cup titles, lifting their first trophy in the UAE in 1994 before winning on home soil in 2002. It retained the title in the following edition, hosted by Kuwait from December 2003 to January 2004.

The UAE won its first Gulf Cup in 2007 and claimed its second title in Bahrain in 2013.