Bahrain face Qatar, UAE and Yemen in Gulf Arab Cup 27 group

Bahrain will begin their Gulf Arab Cup 27 campaign against Qatar on Thursday, 24 September 2026, before meeting the United Arab Emirates and Yemen in Group B.

The tournament will be hosted by Saudi Arabia from 23 September to 6 October 2026, with Bahrain aiming to challenge for the title after missing out on qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That failure disappointed the team’s supporters, and Bahrain will be seeking a strong response at a competition they have won twice, in 2019 and 2022.

Gulf Arab Cup 27 format

Eight teams will take part in Gulf Arab Cup 27. Under the competition regulations, the teams were divided into four levels, with one side from each level drawn into every group.

The draw produced two groups of four. The opening phase will be played as a single round-robin, meaning each team will face the other three sides in its group once.

Group A contains hosts Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Kuwait. It is regarded as one of the toughest sections because of the similar levels of experience and ability among the four teams.

Group B consists of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Yemen. All four sides will be competing for one of the places in the knockout stage, with the top two teams advancing to the semi-finals.

The semi-final draw will see the Group A winners play the Group B runners-up, while the Group B winners will face the Group A runners-up. The two semi-final winners will then meet in the final to decide the 27th Gulf Arab Cup champions.

Bahrain’s fixtures and results

Bahrain’s three group matches are scheduled to take place at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium.

| Stage | Match | Date | Time | Result | |||||| | Group stage | Qatar v Bahrain | Thursday, 24 September 2026 | 21:00 Saudi Arabia, 22:00 United Arab Emirates | 0-2 | | Group stage | Bahrain v United Arab Emirates | Sunday, 27 September 2026 | 21:00 Saudi Arabia, 22:00 United Arab Emirates | 3-0 | | Group stage | Bahrain v Yemen | Wednesday, 30 September 2026 | 20:30 Saudi Arabia, 21:30 United Arab Emirates | 5-2 |

Bahrain are in Group B alongside United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Yemen, a section considered among the strongest groups in the tournament.

The source standings table does not provide the teams’ positions or points totals.

Where to watch

Gulf Arab Cup 27 will be broadcast across more than 16 Arab channels. The principal broadcasters include Abu Dhabi Sports, Al Iraqiya Sports, Oman Sports, Bahrain Sports, Dubai Sports, Alkass and Saudi Sports.