Gulf Cup 27 own goals raise prospect of unwanted World Cup record

Goalkeepers at Gulf Cup 27 are facing an unusual threat: mistakes by their own team-mates rather than goals scored by opponents.

The tournament in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has produced two own goals from its opening three matches, with the competition continuing until 6 October. Only the opening fixture between Iraq and Oman has avoided what has become an early feature of the 27th edition of the Gulf Cup.

The first own goal came in Saudi Arabia’s match against Kuwait on Wednesday, 23 September 2026. Kuwait defender Youssef Al-Haqan inadvertently put the ball into his own net to give Saudi Arabia their only goal of the game.

Al-Haqan’s attempt to deal with a powerful shot from Hamam Al-Hamami instead sent the ball beyond his goalkeeper and into the Kuwait net in the 73rd minute.

Less than 24 hours later, Yemen defender Nader Sahel added another own goal during the meeting with United Arab Emirates on Thursday, 24 September 2026. Sahel tried to clear a cross from United Arab Emirates but diverted it into his own goal.

The two incidents have raised the possibility that Gulf Cup 27 could set an unwanted record if the pattern continues through the remainder of the tournament.

Own goals were a notable feature of the 2026 World Cup, staged in United States, Canada and Mexico. That competition produced 14 own goals, the highest total in the history of the World Cup.

The figure surpassed the previous record set at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where 12 own goals were scored.

With two own goals already recorded after only three matches in Jeddah, Gulf Cup 27 has made a rapid start to its own tally. However, the tournament would need several more such incidents to approach the total established at the 2026 World Cup.

For now, the unusual sequence has placed added pressure on defenders attempting to deal with crosses and shots inside their own penalty areas, after two routine defensive actions turned into goals for the opposition.