Big wins for UAE and Syria as West Asian U23 Championship kicks off in Saudi Arabia

UAE U23 players celebrate scoring in the 3-0 win against Lebanon. (Arriyadiyah)
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Updated 05 October 2021
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Big wins for UAE and Syria as West Asian U23 Championship kicks off in Saudi Arabia

  • The 11-team tournament is taking place in Dammam and Al-Khobar and will run until Oct. 12
  • Syria beat Bahrain 4-1 in Group C, which also includes Saudi Arabia

The West Asian U23 Championship has kicked off in Saudi Arabia, with opening day victories for Iraq, the UAE, Syria and Jordan, while Yemen and Kuwait tied.

In Group B, the Iraqi team managed to defeat its Palestinian counterpart 1-0 on Monday at Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam with a goal by Hassan Jabbar, while the UAE beat Lebanon 3-0 later at the same venue, with goals from Saeed Al-Kaabi, Abdullah Al-Naqbi and Ahmed Abdullah.

Meanwhile, in Group A, Kuwait and Yemen drew 1-1, and Oman beat Jordan 1-0.

Syria beat Bahrain 4-1 in Group C, which also includes Saudi Arabia.

The cities of Dammam and Al-Khobar are hosting the 11-team competition, which will run until Oct. 12.


CUPRA KIRO drivers excited for Formula E double-header in Jeddah

Updated 11 February 2026
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CUPRA KIRO drivers excited for Formula E double-header in Jeddah

  • Pepe Marti ready to build on strong finish in Miami
  • Dan Ticktum hoping for a change of fortunes in Saudi Arabia

JEDDAH: Drivers from the CUPRA KIRO team said they are looking forward to getting out on the Jeddah track this weekend for the FIA Formula E World Championship.

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is the venue for the first double-header of the 2025/26 season, with Rounds 4 and 5 taking place on Friday and Saturday.

Spain’s Pepe Marti, who finished ninth in the last round in Miami, is hoping to carry his momentum to Saudi Arabia.

“I’m very excited to race in Jeddah this weekend,” he said. “I’ve raced here in the past with Formula 2 and finished on the podium, so it’ll be good to be in a familiar environment for the first time this season.

“Obviously, the track layout is completely different, but we’re arriving here after consecutive points finishes in Mexico City and Miami so hopefully, we can maintain this streak and hopefully, aim for something that’s higher than seventh – our best result so far this season.”

Teammate Dan Ticktum is expecting his luck to improve after failing to finish a race this season.

“Jeddah is one of the best circuits on the calendar, and I’m looking forward to driving the track this weekend,” the British driver said. “We showed some good pace in Jeddah last season, and we have two races with it being a double-header. Hopefully we can score some points, finally.”

Russell O’Hagan, CUPRA KIRO team principal, said:

“We’re arriving in Jeddah after a short turnaround from Miami, but everyone in the team has worked exceptionally hard to put us in the best possible position. We were quite competitive here in 2025, and although not everything has aligned yet this season, we’re in a much stronger position now compared to where we were 12 months ago.”

Jeddah is the new home of Formula E in Saudi Arabia after six successful seasons racing in Diriyah.