Monday 28 / September / 2026
Jeddah: Oman football team will meet its Kuwaiti counterpart on Tuesday, in the third round of the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup.
The national team seeks to secure victory and keep alive its hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals. The match will be at 9:30 pm Oman time at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.
The national team enters the match with victory as its sole objective, determined to harvest the three points. It will also be awaiting the result of the encounter between the Saudi and Iraqi teams. Qualification to the semi-finals requires a win for Oman and a defeat for Iraq.
Should that come to pass, the group standings would be settled by goal difference. Saudi Arabia currently lead the group with 6 points, followed by Iraq with 4, while the national team holds one point.
Tarik Sektioui, coach of the national football team, said that the team’s preparations for tomorrow’s important match are proceeding professionally, noting that the work is focused on restoring the players’ physical and mental readiness, with the aim of achieving a positive result.
He added during the press conference held at the media centre today that the team’s technical staff is working according to short-, medium- and long-term plans, taking care to draw lessons from this participation for the forthcoming and future assignments.
He explained that the team did not appear as required in the first half of the previous two matches, but managed in the second half to remedy the situation and return to the rhythm of the match. The team had several chances that were not exploited, affirming that he is working sincerely with the national team and has the desire to achieve positive results.
Sektioui indicated that the team is currently going through difficult circumstances and a difficult phase. The technical staff is working to improve the situation. He noted that the season has seen the preparation of special plans for the players who were given the opportunity to participate in this tournament. These plans encompass various aspects, whether related to the player’s formation or the physical and mental dimensions.
He affirmed that the participation of the national football team in the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup came with the aim of achieving positive results, but several factors made it difficult to apply his technical approach, among them the tight timeframe and the insufficiency of the three training camps, alongside injuries to some players and others not obtaining adequate rest. He noted that he is working sincerely in the service of the national team on foundations aimed at building a team capable of delivering its best in the forthcoming assignments.
For his part, Abdulhafidh Al Mukhaini, a player of the national team, stated that the team is fully prepared to face its Kuwaiti counterpart tomorrow and to strive for the three points, noting the players’ keenness to deliver their best for the Omani fans, who demand positive results.
