His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani inaugurated the 24th Gulf Cup at the Khalifa International Stadium Tuesday.
The bi-annual tournament, which Qatar is hosting for the fourth time, was declared open by His Highness the Amir before Qatar took on Iraq in the opening match.
The Amir announced the opening of the tournament, and welcomed, in the name of every Qatari, everyone to "everyone's Doha".


His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani along with His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, His Highness the Personal Representative of the Amir Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa al-Thani, HE Sheikh Jassim bin Khalifa al-Thani and other dignitaries at the opening ceremony of the 24th Gulf Cup.









Also present on the occasion were His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, His Highness the Personal Representative of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa al-Thani and HE Sheikh Jassim bin Khalifa al-Thani.
The inauguration was also attended by Marzouq bin Ali al-Ghanim, Speaker of the National Assembly of Kuwait, Their Excellencies Sheikhs, ministers, heads of the diplomatic missions accredited to the State and heads of the Gulf Olympic committees and federations.
In a short but dazzling pre-match entertainment programme, the packed crowd was treated to a documentary film about the history of the Gulf Cup since its inception in 1970. It was followed by a traditional song and sword dance by hundreds of performers, with both Qatar and Iraq fans joining in from the stands.
The flags of the eight participating teams were brought into the centre of the pitch with fireworks illuminating the stadium.
His Highness the Amir and other dignitaries attended the opening match between Qatar and Iraq, which Iraq won 2-1.
Kuwait will face Saudi Arabia Wednesday at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium at Al Duhail in the first round of the Arabian Gulf Cup which will be hosted by Doha until December 8.
The Kuwaiti team holds the record in winning the title with 10 titles while the Saudi team won the title three times.










Some of the pre-match entertainment activities. PICTURES: Jayan Orma, Ram Chand

French coach Herve Renard is leading the Saudi team, where he expressed his happiness to participate in the tournament, and said that preparations were not strong in the absence of Al Hilal players, who are the main strength of the squad. He pointed out that the players are scheduled to join the Saudi team soon.
Oman's national football team will kick off the defence of its title Wednesday when they meet their Bahraini counterparts at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium at Al Duhail, in the opening match of Group B.
The draw for the group stage includes Oman, the defending champions, in Group B along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait. Group A includes Qatar, Iraq, Yemen and UAE.
Oman head coach Erwin Koeman has confirmed his team's ability to win the title at the 24th edition.
He said the second group includes strong teams, but he was confident the players would be able to perform at high levels and avoid the pressure to keep the title.
Bahrain aspires to win the title of the Arabian Gulf Cup for the first time in its history, after a long wait since the launch of the first edition of Bahrain in 1970.
The team is led by Portuguese coach Helio Sousa, who said his first goal was to reach the semi-finals, and then play for the final round and the title that all Bahrainis dream of winning for the first time.


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