MANAMA: Iraq will play the United Arab Emirates in the final of the Gulf Cup after two thrilling semi-finals on Tuesday.
Iraq shattered hosts Bahrain’s hopes of a maiden Gulf Cup title with a dramatic 4-2 victory in a penalty shootout after extra time ended 1-1.
And Ahmad Khalil was the Emirati hero as he scored a last-gasp goal to guide his team to a 1-0 victory over defending champions Kuwait.
The hero for Iraq was goalkeeper Noor Sabri, who not only saved two shots in the penalty shootout but also converted the winning spot kick to trigger wild celebrations among a large expatriate Iraqi crowd at the National Stadium in Riffa.
In the penalty shootout, Sabri saved penalties from Bahrain captain Mohammed Hussain and Abdulwahab Al-Malood while Bahrain goalkeeper Sayed Jaffer fended off Iraq’s first penalty taken by Ahmed Yasin.
Dhirgham Ismail, Waleem Salem and Younes Khalaf were on target with the other penalties for Iraq while Faozi Ayish and Sayed Dhiya scored for Bahrain.
Earlier, captain and lone striker Khalaf scored what looked like a Iraqi match-winner in the 18th minute, latching on to a through pass from Hammadi Ahmed in the penalty area and successfully shaking off his marker Abdulla Al-Marzooqi and beating goalkeeper Jaffer with a low shot which went in off the far post.
Veteran defender Hussain Ali Baba produced the Bahrain equalizer in the 61st minute. His free kick from about 20 meters away from the penalty area shot off like a guided missile over the Iraqi wall and curled into the left top corner of the goal, eluding a diving Sabri.
It was undefeated Iraq’s first goal conceded in this championship.
If that was not enough drama, the all-important goal that saw the UAE through to Friday’s final came seconds into the final minute of regular time when the never-say-die Omar Abdulrahman initiated a move inches outside the penalty area on the left and sent Abdulaziz Sanqor through with a well-timed diagonal pass.
Sanqor did well to beat his marker Mohammed Frieh and send a cross past the face of the goal to Khalil, who jabbed the ball low and to the right of Kuwait goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Khaldi.
It was Khalil’s third goal of the championships and the UAE stands, packed with fans especially flown in by 21 chartered planes, went wild.
The first semi-final was a match of two equal halves with the UAE dominating the first and 11-time champions Kuwait the second.
Both teams came close to scoring, with the UAE’s best chance coming in the 60th minute when a long-range free-kick by Khamis Ismael struck the crossbar and bounced back twice off the shoulder of Kuwait goalkeeper Khaldi.
Nine minutes later it was a close shave for Khaldi’s Emirati counterpart Ali Khaseif as Fahad Al-Ansari, Bader Al-Mutwa and Hussain Hakem all had their close shots saved, the Emirati defense just managing to scramble the ball clear.
Kuwait had another chance in the 86th minute when second-half substitute Fahad Al-Enezi covered the length of the ground but could not shake off his markers and his move went abegging.
But the UAE and Khalil’s patience and perseverance paid off in the final minute, however, a just reward for a team mainly made up of players who took part in the 2012 London Games.
Iraq to play UAE in Gulf Cup final
Iraq to play UAE in Gulf Cup final
T20 cricket set to dominate game’s landscape in 2026
- Inexorable rise of one of sport’s controlling forces
Following the end of the Ashes series in Australia, it has not taken long for cricket’s longest format — Test cricket — to be overwhelmed by the T20 format.
Apart from the 50-over Under-19s World Cup taking place in Namibia, it seems that, wherever one turns, there are only T20 tournaments.
Two explanations for this situation are the looming ICC Men’s and Women’s World Cups. The men’s event, to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, starts on Feb. 7, while the women’s tournament starts on June 12 in England.
The women’s event will comprise 12 teams, the largest number ever, of which eight have qualified already. The other four will emerge from 10 teams competing in a qualifying tournament in Nepal. This began on Jan. 18 and will end on Feb. 1. The teams have been divided into two groups of five and will play each other once. Group A comprises Bangladesh, Ireland, Namibia, Papua New Guinea and the US, with the Netherlands, Nepal, Scotland, Thailand and Zimbabwe in Group B. The top three teams will qualify for the Super Six stage in which the three teams from Group A will play the three teams from Group B. Points earned against the other two qualifying teams from each group are carried forward. The top four teams at the end of the Super Six will qualify for the World Cup in June.
The four highest-ranked teams in the competition are Ireland, Bangladesh, Scotland and Thailand. They are expected to progress to the Super Sixes but it remains to be seen if each of them will reach the main event in June. Thailand will probably face tough challenges against Ireland and Bangladesh in the Super Six stage. The Thai team are in good form, having triumphed in the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy and won double gold medals in the women’s cricket competitions in the SE Asia Games at the end of 2025. This form has continued into the tournament with victories over Nepal and Zimbabwe, but sterner tests lie ahead.
Players who are squad members of teams who have qualified for the World Cup are warming up in different ways. A number are currently involved in India’s Women’s Premier League, which is halfway into its schedule and will conclude on Feb. 5. In New Zealand, the Women’s Super Smash concludes on Jan. 31, while in South Africa the CSA Women’s Pro20 will resume on Feb. 8. There are upcoming bilateral tours by India to Australia in late February, Pakistan to South Africa in February, Zimbabwe to New Zealand in March, followed by South Africa. No doubt other matches will be arranged once the identity of the final four qualifying teams is known. Immediately prior to the World Cup, formal warm-up matches will take place at three venues in England and Wales.
The need for preparation is even more pressing for those involved in the men’s T20 World Cup, which comprises 20 teams. The Big Bash League in Australia allows four overseas players in each 18-man squad. In 2025/26, English players represent the bulk of non-Australian players, followed by players from Pakistan and New Zealand. The South African World Cup players are fully engaged in SA20, in which 19-man squads are allowed to contain seven overseas players, four of whom can be selected for a playing 11. English players are well represented. The Bangladesh Premier League will conclude on Jan. 23. Indian players with central contracts are not allowed to participate in franchise leagues outside India. Their World Cup players will feature in a T20 series against New Zealand that started on Jan. 21 in Nagpur. It followed an ODI series which was won by New Zealand. England start a three-match T20 series against Sri Lanka on Jan. 30, following three ODIs.
Outside of the leading countries, it can be difficult for players and teams to gain enough game-time preparation. Some of the UAE players participated in the DP World ILT20. Their next international action is a two-match series on Jan. 29 and 31 against Ireland in Dubai, where Afghanistan currently have a three-match T20 series against the West Indies, who then play a series against South Africa. Ireland will remain in Dubai where they will play three T20 matches against Italy, who are making their first appearance in a World Cup.
Australia will visit Pakistan and play three T20 matches. Teams such as the US, Canada, Oman, Nepal, Namibia and the Netherlands appear to have limited match preparation opportunities.
At least they do not face the uncertainties of Bangladesh. In early January, in a further example of the use of cricket as a political weapon, the Indian authorities excluded the Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the 2026 Indian Premier League, amid rising tensions between the two countries. Rahman had been bought at auction by the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise, which is owned by Shah Rukh Khan, the Indian actor and film producer, who was born into a Muslim family. Following this decision, the Bangladesh Cricket Board requested that the International Cricket Council move matches involving Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup out of India, citing the “safety and well-being of the players.”
Discussions ensued between the parties. Independent security assessments were commissioned by the ICC, along with comprehensive venue-level security plans and formal assurances from the host authorities. These were shared with the BCB. All assessments consistently concluded that “there is no credible or verifiable threat to the safety or security of the Bangladesh team in India.” On Jan. 17, the BCB suggested a swap of their matches with those of Ireland, whose group matches are to be played in Sri Lanka. The suggestion was rejected. At an emergency meeting of the ICC’s board on Jan. 21, 14 out of the 16 members voted against Bangladesh’s request. It is assumed that, apart from Bangladesh, the other vote in favour was from Pakistan.
It appears that the BCB’s attempt at a hardline stance has backfired. It must now either accept to play in India or withdraw from the competition, with significant loss of face either way. If it withdraws, a replacement team need to be introduced. The next-best-ranked T20I team are Scotland, who will have even less time to prepare than the other 19 teams.
Once again, a major international tournament has been disrupted by geopolitics. It is also the case that, once again, almost everyone has fallen in behind the combined power of the ICC and the Indian board. This stranglehold and the inexorable rise of T20 cricket are now undoubtedly the controlling forces shaping cricket’s future landscape.
