Abdullah Nasser Al Jneibi and other UAE football officials joined Gulf Football Federation president Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani at the team's training base in Jeddah. The visit came as the squad prepared for its third-round Gulf 27 match.
The focus was football.
A visit before the third-round match
UAE Football Association first vice-president and UAE Pro League president Abdullah Nasser Al Jneibi attended with second vice-president Obaid Salem Al Shamsi. Board members Hisham Mohammed Al Zarooni, Ibrahim Hassan Al Nemer, Hamad Ahmed Al Mazrouei, Ahmed Ali Al Mahboobi, Yahya Khalaf Al Matroushi and Fahad Ismail Al Hosani were also there. Secretary-general Mohammed Abdullah Hazzam Al Dhaheri joined them.
Gulf Cup 27 is being held in Jeddah from 23 September to 6 October 2026, with eight national teams competing. The UAE are in Group B and are scheduled to face Qatar in their final group match on 30 September.
The Jeddah visit was separate from the Olympic side's Asian Games opener. It focused on Gulf football and federation support. Sharjah24 reported that the UAE held a short camp in Abu Dhabi before travelling to Jeddah on 21 September for final preparations and acclimatisation.
According to Al Etihad's coverage of the result with WAM, the UAE opened its tournament campaign with a 4-0 win over Yemen on 25 September. The UAE won 4-0.
Support for regional competitions
UAE team members thanked Sheikh Hamad for visiting. They wished the Gulf Football Federation success in organising competitions for national teams and Gulf clubs. They said those tournaments help develop football across the region.
Head coach Zlatko Dalić later called the squad's atmosphere "wonderful" and described the players as "one family." After about 15 days together, he said, they had become "like a family." That was his message.
Yemen coach Ould Ali said his team's preparations began with a camp in Aden before moving to Jeddah for the final phase and acclimatisation. The Gulf Football Federation's referees committee also held a four-day preparatory camp in Jeddah, covering rules updates, VAR and fitness work, News Ajel reported.
The visit did not change match preparations or announce a sporting decision. It was a direct show of support from the Gulf Football Federation's president before the competition.
Arab News also reported that Sheikh Hamad chaired the federation's executive committee meeting in Jeddah on 28 September, held on the sidelines of Gulf Cup 27. For Gulf football, visible support matters most when competitions are well run and give national teams and clubs a platform to develop.
