Doha: The inaugural Gulf Cup for Juniors kicks off in Doha this Sunday, September 20th, with our U17 national team set to play Yemen in their first match. The tournament, organized by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation, will see eight Gulf teams compete until October 3rd.

Qatar has been drawn in Group A with the UAE, Oman, and Yemen. The competing teams in Group B are Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

Spanish coach, Álvaro Mejía, expressed his confidence at the recent pre-tournament press conference. He stated that the team is at its maximum level of preparedness, even with a condensed training schedule. For him, the tournament offers essential  competition against Gulf teams, serving as ideal preparation for the World Cup and providing the players with necessary experience for different game situations.

This follows the team’s intensive training camp in Croatia, where they played friendlies against strong European competition. They recorded a 2-1 loss to Belgium, a 3-0 defeat to Croatia, and finished with a 2-1 victory over Ukraine.