The 25th Gulf Cup is to be postponed from December until after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Arabic sports daily Arriyadiyah has reported.
The Gulf’s oldest international football competition was meant to kick off in Basra, Iraq, on Dec. 24, but has now been pushed back, following a remote meeting of the Executive Office of the Arab Gulf Cup Federation chaired by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.
The recommendation for the postponement will be submitted to the heads of the individual Gulf football federations at a general assembly meeting on Sept. 20.
Sources told Arriyadiyah that the delay was to allow Basra time to complete its preparations for the tournament. Consideration was also being given to the commitments of Gulf teams in an increasingly the crowded football calendar that includes participation in the Asian World Cup qualifiers and the 2021 Arab Cup, in addition to the domestic leagues and the AFC Champions League.
The Iraq Federation hopes that a date will be fixed for the delayed tournament soon. It has been forced to abandon hosting the previous four competitions for varying reasons — a lack of readiness, suspension of Iraq by FIFA and security concerns.
