The Gulf Cup for Veteran Players (Arabic: كأس الخليج لقدامى اللاعبين) is an exhibition association football tournament governed by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation for its eight member nations.[1] The tournament is contested by retired players that have participated in previous Arabian Gulf Cup tournaments.[2] The reigning champions are Iraq, who won the inaugural title in 2025.[3]

History

The tournament was first suggested by Omani journalist Salih Albahri.[4] Rumours about the launch of the tournament began circulating in September 2024, three months before Kuwait was set to host the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup.[5] On 30 January 2025, the AGCFF announced the format and dates for the first tournament to be hosted by Kuwait, and also announced that the tournament would be held biennially in conjunction with the Arabian Gulf Cup tournament, in the same host country.

Format and rules

The tournament follows the same format as the Arabian Gulf Cup, where the eight teams are divided into two groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the semi-final. All players participating in the tournament must be retired or over the age of 40 and must have taken part in at least one previous edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup. Matches consist of two halves of 20 minutes each, with no limits on substitutions. If a match in the knockout stage ends in a draw after 40 minutes, a penalty shoot-out takes place.[6]

Results

Ed. Year Host Final Losing semi-finalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Champion Score 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
1 2025  Kuwait
Iraq 		0–0
(4–3 p)
Oman 		Bahrain and Qatar
2 2027  Saudi Arabia TBD TBD

See also

References

  1. ^ "UAE Veterans Confirm Readiness for Gulf Legends Championship" (in Arabic). UAE Voice. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  2. ^ "بطولة «أساطير الخليج» 20 فبراير المقبل بالكويت اقرأ المزيد" (in Arabic). Al-Jarida. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  3. ^ ""كأس الخليج" لقدامى اللاعبين... تشعل شمعتها الأولى غداً اقرأ المزيد" (in Arabic). Al-Seyassah. 20 February 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  4. ^ "Abu Dhabi sport - Sport today". Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  5. ^ ""بطولة لقدامى اللاعبين على هامش بطولات الخليج"" (in Arabic). Abu Dhabi Sports Channels. 11 February 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  6. ^ "بطولة قدامى اللاعبين.. فرصة لإعادة شريط الذكريات" (in Arabic). Al-Sabah. 18 February 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Cup_for_Veteran_Players
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