The United Arab Emirates take on Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, chasing a third Arabian Gulf Cup title in the competition's history. The 62,000-capacity venue is expected to host around 6,000 travelling UAE supporters, after the UAE Football Association doubled its chartered flights from six to twelve and helped subsidise ticket costs for fans making the trip.
Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic, who took charge of the side roughly three weeks ago, says his players are ready for the occasion after an intensive training camp. "We are ready for this moment. We have been working hard for the past 20 days," Dalic said ahead of kick-off.
The UAE have been one of the standout teams of this edition, scoring nine goals and conceding only one across four matches on their way to the final. Their attacking form marks a sharp turnaround from a side that has historically struggled against Saudi Arabia: the Saudis have won 23 of the sides' previous meetings to the UAE's seven, and currently sit ten places above the UAE in the FIFA rankings.
Captain Khalid Essa said the squad hopes Tuesday's match will be "the moment we reap the rewards" of weeks of preparation. A win would be the UAE's first Gulf Cup title since 2013, when they beat Iraq in the final, having also lifted the trophy in 2007 against Oman.
Beyond this final, Dalic's mandate with the UAE extends further: he has been tasked with leading the team into the 2027 Asian Cup and pushing for the nation's first World Cup qualification since 1990.