Arabian Gulf Cup 2026: No opening for North African teams | OneFootball

No opening for North African teams in the 2026 Arabian Gulf Cup

Morocco/@CAF

Contrary to circulating rumors about the potential inclusion of the Arabian Gulf Cup for North African national teams starting from the 2026 edition in Saudi Arabia, there will be no changes regarding the participating teams.

Sources close to the tournament's organizing body have confirmed that there are no plans to include Egypt, Morocco, or Algeria, nor Jordan, for the 2026 edition scheduled for next September in Saudi Arabia.

The changes will not affect the main competition but might concern youth tournaments in various age categories, which could open up to other teams, particularly those from UNAF.

The Arabian Gulf Cup was first held in 1970 in Bahrain, featuring Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar. The United Arab Emirates joined the tournament in 1972 in Riyadh.

Oman made its debut in the competition in Kuwait in 1974, followed by Iraq in the fourth edition in Doha (1976). The most recent addition to the tournament was Yemen, joining in Kuwait (2003).