JEDDAH, October 7, 2026 — Saudi Arabia ended 22 years of hurt on Tuesday night, beating the United Arab Emirates 2-0 in front of a raucous home crowd at King Abdullah Sports City to lift the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup, the kingdom’s fourth regional title and its first since 2004.
Early goals from Hammam Al Hammami and Feras Al Brikan inside the opening 13 minutes settled the first Gulf Cup final ever contested between the two Gulf rivals, while goalkeeper Mohamed Al Owais preserved a clean sheet that stretched through the entire tournament, match reports said.
Two goals in two minutes stun the visitors
The hosts made a blistering start. Winger Hammam Al Hammami opened the scoring in the 11th minute when his effort from the edge of the box took a deflection off the UAE defensive wall and wrong-footed goalkeeper Khalid Eisa, sparking wild celebrations in the stands.
Two minutes later the lead was doubled. Feras Al Brikan was sent clear and finished from close range with a low left-footed strike that left the UAE backline stunned. Saleh Abu Alshamat, starting alongside his brother Mohammed, almost added a third but crashed his effort against the crossbar, match reports said.
VAR denies UAE a lifeline
The UAE, appearing in their first Gulf Cup final since 2018, refused to fold. Nicolas Jimenez had nearly given the visitors a dream start with an early overhead kick that sailed just over the bar, and Bruno Oliveira appeared to have won a penalty in the 39th minute after going down under Hassan Al Tambakti’s challenge.
But VAR officials summoned the referee to review the incident, and the award was waved off after the touch was judged too slight — a decision that drew furious protests from the Emirati bench, reports said.
After the interval, Saudi goalkeeper Mohamed Al Owais denied Sultan Adil from close range, while UAE forward Fabio Lima struck the bar in the 88th minute as the Whites pressed in vain. Saudi Arabia held on to complete a tournament played without conceding a single goal.
‘The best team in this competition’
Head coach Georgios Donis paid tribute to his players at the post-match press conference. “We are very happy… there were many difficulties, but the players showed concentration and discipline and gave their maximum on the pitch,” he said. “We were the best team in this competition. This title gives us confidence for the future.”
Saudi Arabia had reached the final after edging Qatar 3-2 on penalties following a goalless 120 minutes, while Zlatko Dalic’s UAE topped Group B and beat Oman 1-0 in the semifinal. The defeat ended the UAE’s unbeaten run under their new coach and their bid for a third title after triumphs in 2007 and 2013.
Gulf leaders hail the triumph
More than 60,000 fans packed the stadium in Jeddah, including over 12,000 Emirati supporters who travelled on six chartered aircraft arranged by the UAE Football Association, The National reported.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan congratulated King Salman bin Abdulaziz on the victory, commending the sportsmanship of both finalists and the tournament organisers. The triumph gave the Saudis their fourth Gulf Cup crown after victories in 1994, 2002 and 2004 — and finally ended the longest title drought in the nation’s modern football history.
