DUBAI: Saudi Arabia face hosts Russia on the 14th of June 2018 in the opening match of the FIFA World Cup, but the next stage of preparations en route to Moscow starts this weekend against another host country in another opening fixture. The 23rd edition of the Gulf Cup kicks-off on Friday when the Green Falcons face a Kuwait side returning from more than two years of international hiatus following a ban from FIFA.
The side that takes on the Blues of Kuwait on Friday will be very different to that expected to face Russia in six months’ time. For starters, coach Krunoslav Jurcic will lead the team instead of first-team manager Juan Antonio Pizzi. The Croatian takes to Kuwait the youngest squad among the eight nations competing for the regional title.
Besides the host nation, Saudi Arabia’s Group A includes regional heavyweights the United Arab Emirates as well as Oman. Saudi and the UAE exchanged wins in the third round of the Asian qualifiers to the FIFA World Cup: The Green Falcons triumphed 3-0 in Jeddah, while the Whites responded with a 2-1 win in Al-Ain in the penultimate matchday of the campaign.
The UAE have since replaced coach Mahdi Ali with experienced Italian Alberto Zaccheroni who has called up a full-strength squad for the Gulf Cup, including the likes of 2015 Asian Player of the Year Ahmed Khalil and his successor for the award Omar Abdulrahman as well as 2015 Asian Cup top goal scorer Ali Mabkhout. With the abundance of talent in their ranks, the UAE are favorites to advance from the group and even win the tournament.
Kuwait will be motivated, returning to international football in their favorite competition, which they have won a record ten times. On home soil, the Blues will mount a serious challenge for the title and their fans will accept nothing short of a semifinal spot.
Then there is Oman, whose Dutch manager Pim Verbeek plays a conservative brand of football and could be successful in getting smash-and-grab wins against stronger opponents.
Given all of the above, coupled with the inexperience of his own squad, Jurcic would be wise to ease the pressure on his players and instead focus on the medium-term objective of helping Pizzi identify players who can make it to the team traveling to Russia. Granted, Saudi fans would not be satisfied with an early exit. After all, the Gulf Cup remains highly entrenched in the region’s fan culture and bragging rights are still as important as ever to supporters.
Kuwait’s ban has seen them slip down to 188th in FIFA rankings, a position that does not represent their true level. Saudi are currently ranked 63rd and a defeat or even a draw against a side 125 places below them can have a damaging impact on the team’s ranking. The same is true, to a lesser extent, of Oman who are ranked 101st going into the tournament.
A number of players in Jurcic’s squad already have a claim on a spot on the plane to Moscow next summer, and for them, it is crucial that they lead by example to impress coach Pizzi, who will certainly be watching. Defender Abdulrahman Al-Obaid, midfielders Ahmed Al-Fraidi, Salman Al-Moasher and Nouh Al-Moosa, in addition to strikers Mukhtar Fallatah and Hazza Al-Hazza, have all represented the national team over the past 12 months and are considered fringe players at this stage. Their performances in Kuwait can go a long way in determining their World Cup fate come May.
World Cup places at stake in Saudi Arabia’s Gulf Cup bid
World Cup places at stake in Saudi Arabia’s Gulf Cup bid
Nacho Elvira keeps cool to lead by 2 shots at Dubai Invitational
- Spaniard goes into final round with advantage over Dylan Frittelli, Shane Lowry, Marcus Armitage
DUBAI: Nacho Elvira kept calm in breezy conditions to earn a two-shot advantage heading into the final round of the 2026 Dubai Invitational.
The Spaniard shared the overnight second-round lead with Shane Lowry at five under, and he negotiated an early bogey with four birdies to card a steady 68 on Moving Day at Dubai Creek Resort.
Elvira is seeking his third DP World Tour title after successes at the 2021 Cazoo Open, supported by Gareth Bale, and the 2024 Soudal Open.
At eight under he leads by two from a stellar chasing pack at six under, with Dylan Frittelli sharing second place after a sparkling 66 alongside Lowry and Englishman Marcus Armitage.
Elvira said: “I’m very pleased. It’s been a tricky couple of days with the wind. I’m pretty happy with it.
“I’ve been here long enough to not be too nervous tomorrow, in a way. I’m going to try and enjoy, and learn from the experiences in the past and see what happens. I’m extremely happy.”
Elvira was soon the sole leader, despite opening with three pars when Lowry bogeyed the third to slip back in the pack at four under alongside Frenchman Antoine Rozner and Frittelli, who made fast starts.
Lowry dropped another shot at the sixth but when he birdied the next, there was a four-way tie at the top.
His Spanish playing partner bogeyed the seventh just moments earlier as he joined Lowry, Rozner and Frittelli at four under.
The leadership group increased to five when Matt Wallace rolled in his third birdie of the day at the 10th.
Just as Wallace’s putt found the hole, Rozner jumped ahead on his own at five under with a gain at the ninth.
Frittelli’s birdie at the 11th saw the South African move alongside Rozner at the top, only for Lowry and Elvira to follow suit at the same hole for both players to rejoin the lead.
Elvira started his back nine with another birdie to regain the outright lead at six under and then extended his advantage to two when rolling in from 8 feet at the 13th.
Frittelli and Lowry remained in the chasing pack at five under and were joined by Armitage — who responded to a bogey at the seventh with three birdies in four holes from the 10th — and Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy opened with a birdie before dropping a shot at the fourth on a steady front nine, but gains at the 10th, 13th and 16th took him into contention.
A magical recovery from Frittelli at the last saw him close with an unlikely birdie to set the clubhouse mark of six under, with Elvira having three holes to play.
The leading Spaniard regained his two-shot advantage with a lovely 17-footer for birdie at the penultimate hole before closing with a par.
Lowry mixed two birdies and two bogeys on his front nine, but had to wait until the 17th for his next gain before horseshoeing his birdie putt at the last.
Frittelli was bogey-free in his 66 thanks to a hat-trick of birdies from the third before further gains at the 11th and last.
Armitage rolled in a birdie effort from 21 feet at the 18th to climb alongside Frittelli at six under.
World No. 2 McIlroy parred his way home in his 68 to sit in solo fifth, while Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen and South African Jacques Kruyswijk both carded flawless rounds of 66 with Spaniard David Puig for company at five under.
Geoff Wang was the 2026 Dubai Invitational Team Event Champion following a total of 17 under.
“It's incredible,” Wang said. “I’ve not spent a lot of time in Dubai, it’s only my second time, but to experience this place on this occasion and on this beautiful golf course, the tournament is exceedingly well run.”
