Oddities of the 27th Gulf Cup: a rare draw decides Saudi Arabia's opponent in the semi-final!

The final round of the group stage of the 27th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup, "Gulf 27", served up plenty of drama, above all in the fight to join Saudi Arabia as Group One's second qualifier.

Saudi Arabia beat Iraq 2-0 in Tuesday's clash at the Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah, wrapping up the third and final round of the group stage to finish top of Group One on 9 points.

Oman, meanwhile, dug out a thrilling win. They trailed Kuwait by a single goal before turning it around to win 3-1 in the closing minutes.

Once both matches finished, Oman's players celebrated reaching the semi-finals, even though they were level with Iraq on absolutely everything: points, goals, and even fair play.

Iraq and Oman each finished on 4 points after drawing their opener 1-1. Both scored 4 goals and conceded 5. Both picked up 8 yellow cards and no reds.

Saudi newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat" reported that the Gulf Football Cup Federation will stage a draw shortly at a hotel in Jeddah to settle the Iraq-Oman qualifier, with nothing to separate them and no factor tipping the scales either way.

Football rarely comes down to this. The clause exists in the regulations of every tournament, yet almost never gets used to decide who advances from the group stage.

عاجل | مصادر «الشرق الأوسط»: قرعة بين العراق وعُمان لحسم المتأهل إلى نصف نهائي كأس الخليج العربي لكرة القدم «خليجي 27»، ستُجرى بعد قليل في فندق إنتركونتننتال بجدة، وذلك عقب فوز عُمان على الكويت 3-1، وخسارة العراق أمام السعودية 0-2 — الشرق الأوسط - رياضة (@aawsat_spt) September 29, 2026