The Gulf Football Association has appointed Saudi referee Ali Al-Qahtani to officiate the opening match of the Gulf Cup U17 'Qatar 2026', as part of the first round of the competition.
Qatar will host the second edition of the tournament from October 16 to November 4, organized by the local organizing committee in coordination with the Gulf Football Federation.
The tournament features 10 teams competing in 23 matches, marking the largest edition in its history in terms of the number of participating teams.
Ali Al-Qahtani will officiate the match between Qatar and China, scheduled in Group A at Hamad Al-Kabeer Stadium, assisted by his compatriots Saad Al-Shabrami and Mohamed Wazi. Abdullah Zarban will serve as the fourth official, while Abdullah Al-Balushi will participate as a referee assessor.
In the second match of the same group, the United Arab Emirates face Bahrain at Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium, officiated by Kuwaiti referee Dawood Al-Abdullah, assisted by Shafi Al-Failkawi from Kuwait and Iraqi Shakir Adeeb, while Laith Sattami takes on the role of fourth official and Abdul Rehman Al-Omari evaluates the referees.
