Abha, Saudi Arabia: The Arabian Gulf Cup U20 kicked off in Abha, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday. The tournament, which runs from August 28th to September 10th, features eight teams: Saudi Arabia (hosts), Qatar, Kuwait, Yemen, Oman, Iraq, Bahrain, and Egypt, who joined by invitation from the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation.

In the opening round of Group One, Qatar U20 national team drew 2-2 with their Kuwaiti counterparts. Mohammed Al-Mulla scored to put Kuwait ahead in the 5th minute, before Richard Robert equalized for Qatar in the 16th minute. Abdullah Al-Qurazi put Kuwait back in front in the 27th minute, but the Qatari response was swift, with Ahmed Nasser leveling the score again just two minutes later in the 29th.

In the other Group One match, the Saudi Arabia defeated Yemen 1-0. This result puts Saudi Arabia top of the group with three points, while both Qatar and Kuwait have one point each. Yemen is in last place with no points. The young Qatari team (Al-Annabi) will next face their Yemeni counterpart on Sunday at 4:30 PM and will conclude their group stage matches against Saudi Arabia next Wednesday.

The tournament draw placed Saudi Arabia alongside Qatar, Kuwait, and Yemen in Group One. Group Two consists of the teams from Oman, Iraq, Bahrain, and Egypt. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals. All matches will be held at the Prince Sultan Sport City Stadium and the Damac Club Stadium.