AFC Arabian Gulf Cup of Nations 1970 to 2023
The Arabian Gulf Cup of Nations is a football tournament currently held every two years rotating the host city every edition. The Gulf Cup of Nations was founded at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico by the Arab states around the Persian Gulf. The First Gulf Cup tournament took place in Bahrain in 1970, and was won by the Kuwaiti team. The 2021 Tournament was re-named the FIFA 2021 Arab Cup and includes Nations from Asia & Africa. Includes a Table of Merit.
AFC Arabian Gulf Cup 1970 to 2019 & FIFA Arab Cup 2023
| Year | # | Host Nation(s) | Winner | Score | Runner-Up | Third | Score | Fourth | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1 |  | Bahrain |  | Kuwait | Group | | Bahrain |  | Saudi Arabia | Group |  | Qatar | |
| 1972 | 2 | | Saudi Arabia | | Kuwait | Group | | Saudi Arabia |  | United Arab Emirates | Group | | Qatar | |
| 1974 | 3 | | Kuwait | | Kuwait | 4 - 0 | | Saudi Arabia | | United Arab Emirates | 1-1 (p3-0) | | Qatar | |
| 1976 | 4 | | Qatar | | Kuwait | 4 - 2 |  | Iraq | | Qatar | Group | | Bahrain | |
| 1979 | 5 | | Iraq | | Iraq | Group | | Kuwait | | Saudi Arabia | Group | | Bahrain | |
| 1982 | 6 | | United Arab Emirates | | Kuwait | Group | | Bahrain | | United Arab Emirates | Group | | Saudi Arabia | |
| 1984 | 7 |  | Oman | | Iraq | 1-1 (p4-3) | | Qatar | | Saudi Arabia | Group | | United Arab Emirates | |
| 1986 | 8 | | Bahrain | | Kuwait | Group | | United Arab Emirates | | Saudi Arabia | Group | | Qatar | |
| 1988 | 9 | | Saudi Arabia | | Iraq | Group | | United Arab Emirates | | Saudi Arabia | Group | | Bahrain | |
| 1990 | 10 | | Kuwait | | Kuwait | Group | | Qatar | | Bahrain | Group | | Oman | |
| 1992 | 11 | | Qatar | | Qatar | Group | | Bahrain | | Saudi Arabia | Group | | United Arab Emirates | |
| 1994 | 12 | | United Arab Emirates | | Saudi Arabia | Group | | United Arab Emirates | | Bahrain | Group | | Qatar | |
| 1996 | 13 | | Oman | | Kuwait | Group | | Qatar | | Saudi Arabia | Group | | United Arab Emirates | |
| 1998 | 14 | | Bahrain | | Kuwait | Group | | Saudi Arabia | | United Arab Emirates | Group | | Oman | |
| 2002 | 15 | | Saudi Arabia | | Saudi Arabia | Group | | Qatar | | Kuwait | Group | | Bahrain | |
| 2003 | 16 | | Kuwait | | Saudi Arabia | Group | | Bahrain | | Qatar | Group | | Oman | |
| 2004 | 17 | | Qatar | | Qatar | 1-1 (p6-5) | | Oman | | Bahrain | 3 - 1 | | Kuwait | |
| 2007 | 18 | | United Arab Emirates | | United Arab Emirates | 1 - 0 | | Oman | | Bahrain | Shared | | Saudi Arabia | |
| 2009 | 19 | | Oman | | Oman | 0-0 (p6-5) | | Saudi Arabia | | Kuwait | Shared | | Qatar | |
| 2010 | 20 |  | Yemen | | Kuwait | 1 - 0 | | Saudi Arabia | | Iraq | Shared | | United Arab Emirates | |
| 2013 | 21 | | Bahrain | | United Arab Emirates | 2-1 aet | | Iraq | | Kuwait | 6 - 1 | | Bahrain | |
| 2014 | 22 | | Saudi Arabia | | Qatar | 2 - 1 | | Saudi Arabia | | United Arab Emirates | 1 - 0 | | Oman | |
| 2017-18 | 23 | | Kuwait | | Oman | 0-0 (p5-4) | | United Arab Emirates | | Bahrain | Shared | | Oman | |
| 2019 | 24 | | Qatar | | Bahrain | 1 - 0 | | Saudi Arabia | | Iraq | Shared | | Qatar | |
| 2021 | 25 | | Qatar |  | Algeria | 2-0 aet |  | Tunisia | | Qatar | 0-0 (p5-4) |  | Egypt | |
FIFA Arab Cup 2021 Qatar 30th November to 18th December
24th Arabian Gulf Cup 2019 Qatar 26th November to 8th December
| 24th Gulf Cup of Nations Qatar 26th November to 8th December 2019 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group A | ||||||
| Date | Team | Score | Team | Venue | ||
| 26 November | Qatar | | 1 - 2 | | Iraq | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha |
| 26 November | United Arab Emirates | | 3 - 0 | | Yemen | Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha |
| 29 November | United Arab Emirates | | 0 - 2 | | Iraq | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha |
| 29 November | Yemen | | 0 - 6 | | Qatar | Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha |
| 2 December | Qatar | | 4 - 2 | | United Arab Emirates | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha |
| 2 December | Yemen | | 0 - 0 | | Iraq | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha |
| Group B | ||||||
| Date | Team | Score | Team | Venue | ||
| 27 November | Oman | | 0 - 0 | | Bahrain | Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha |
| 27 November | Saudi Arabia | | 1 - 3 | | Kuwait | Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha |
| 30 November | Kuwait | | 1 - 2 | | Oman | Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha |
| 30 November | Bahrain | | 0 - 2 | | Saudi Arabia | Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha |
| 2 December | Kuwait | | 2 - 4 | | Bahrain | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha |
| 2 December | Oman | | 1 - 3 | | Saudi Arabia | Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha |
24th Arabian Gulf Cup 2019 Qatar Group Tables
| 2019 Gulf Cup of Nations Group A | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
| Iraq | | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 7 |
| Qatar | | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 6 |
| United Arab Emirates | | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 3 |
| Yemen | | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 | −9 | 1 |
| 2019 Gulf Cup of Nations Group B | |||||||||
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
| Saudi Arabia | | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 |
| Bahrain | | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Oman | | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 |
| Kuwait | | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 3 |
24th Arabian Gulf Cup 2019 Qatar Knock-Out Stage
| 2019 Arabian Gulf Cup Semi-Finals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Team | Score | Team | Venue | ||
| 5 December | Iraq | | 2-2 AET (Pens 3-5) | | Bahrain | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha |
| 5 December | Saudi Arabia | | 1 - 0 | | Qatar | Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha |
| 2019 Arabian Gulf Cup | ||||||
| 8 December | Bahrain | | 1 - 0 | | Saudi Arabia | Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha |
AFC Gulf Cup of Nations 1970 to 2019 Table of Merit
| Nation | Winners | Second | Third | Fourth | Top 4 (24) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuwait | 10 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 15 |
| Saudi Arabia | 3 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 19 |
| Qatar | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 16 |
| Iraq | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 15 |
| Oman | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
| Bahrain | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| Totals | 24 | 24 | 29 | 19 | 96 | |
About the author: Ben Jardine
Ben Jardine is the managing editor of My Football Facts and has covered football since 2014. He writes across football statistics, history and current affairs, from all-time records and World Cup deep dives to live transfer-window coverage, with a focus on rigorously fact-checked, data-led analysis. Connect with Ben on LinkedIn.