Football in Saudi Arabia takes centre stage this week as it hosts the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup tournament in Jeddah, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino was there to meet with Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) officials and experience the passionate celebration and sporting camaraderie surrounding the event.

Organised by the eight-member Gulf Football Federation, the Arabian Gulf Cup has been regularly played every two years since 1970. The 2026 edition kicked off on 23 September – the 96th Saudi National Day – as the hosts defeated Kuwait 1-0 in a Group A match at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. This Arabian Gulf Cup will be the most consequential yet, as it is the first where matches count toward the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking.

“It was wonderful to be in Jeddah on Saudi National Day as hosts Saudi Arabia got off to a winning start at the 2026 Gulf Cup against Kuwait in an enjoyable game,” the FIFA President said after the match. “The fans in attendance displayed a lot of passion, showing once again how football can bring us all together.”

The tournament final will be played on 6 October at the same venue, where the Green Falcons will hope to lift the trophy for the first time since 2004 (and fourth time overall). Saudi Arabia is hosting the Arabian Gulf Cup for the first time since 2014, and there is no question that the Kingdom’s profile on the global football landscape has soared since then.

Thanks to world class infrastructure and a deep and historic love for the game, Saudi Arabia has become a regular (and essentially annual) destination for major club and international events over the past decade. Highlights include the FIFA Club World Cup 2023™ and an array of continental and regional competitions, along with the FIFA Series™ (2024) and the annual FIFAe World Cup (2023 to 2026). It is all building toward the upcoming AFC Asian Cup, which Saudi Arabia will stage for the first time next January-February, and then the climactic FIFA World Cup 2034™.

Saudi Arabia will be eager to turn a years-long run of competitive performances and tournament qualifications into silverware next month in Jeddah and then again early next year. They have reached the FIFA World Cup™ on three consecutive occasions and earned draws this summer against Uruguay and Cabo Verde in a loaded group that also included eventual winners Spain. The Saudis won the AFC Asian Cup in 1984, 1988 and 1996 but have not returned to the final since 2007, and they claimed the bronze medal at last year’s FIFA Arab Cup™ in Qatar.

Meanwhile, the country’s domestic league has made headlines across the world as its increasingly ambitious members bolster their squads with big-name players. Saudi clubs have featured in five of the past six FIFA Intercontinental Cup™ tournaments and at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, where Al Hilal made a sensational run to the quarter-finals (ousting English Premier League power Manchester City FC along the way).

The Saudi Arabian women’s national team and women’s football in the Kingdom generally are on the rise as well. The SAFF has committed to supporting women’s football and has been actively engaging with FIFA’s Women’s Football Development Programme. They participated in the coach mentorship, leadership, capacity building, league development and women’s football campaign positioning programmes in 2025, while the senior national side entered qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ and AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time. They are now 157th in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking, an all-time high since entering the list in March 2023.

The FIFA President acknowledged regional football leadership who collaborated to kick-off the 27th Arabian Cup – and the first to be staged in Jeddah, as all previous tournaments staged in Saudi Arabia were focused on the capital, Riyadh.

“A big thank you to Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region, Prince Saud Bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud; Gulf Football Federation President, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani; Saudi Arabian Sports Minister, Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal; Saudi Arabian Football Federation President, Bader bin Sulaiman Al-Reziza; FIFA Council Member, Yasser Al Misehal; and everyone in this beautiful country for your wonderful hospitality, as well as to Kuwait Football Association President, Sheikh Ahmad Yousef Al-Sabah,” Mr Infantino said.

Elsewhere on the field of play, Iraq and Oman drew 1-1 in the other Group A game on Wednesday. Group B will commence on Thursday 24 September as the United Arab Emirates faces Yemen before Qatar meet reigning champions Bahrain. The top two finishers in each four-team group will contest the semi-finals on 3 October, with the final pencilled in for the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium three days later.