2017 Gulf Cup of Nations
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Qatar |
| Dates | December 2017 |
| Teams | 8 (from 1 confederation) |
The '2017 Gulf Cup of Nations or Gulf Cup (Arabic: كأس الخليج) will be the 23rd edition of the biennial football competition.
Hosting
Kuwait was set to host the 2016 edition after Iraq withdrew from hosting, but due to their FIFA suspension it was moved to Qatar in December 2017.[1][2] It was originally scheduled to be held in Basra, Iraq, with an official decision set to be made in February 2015. On 2 February 2015, the Iraqi Ministry of Youth announced that Iraq would not host the competition due to a financial crises in Iraq, yet hope to host the next edition in 2018.[3][4]
It would have been the second time that Iraq had hosted this competition after 1979 which was held in the capital Baghdad. Iraq were set to organize the two previous editions in 2013 and 2014 but they shifted after concerns over preparations and security.[5]
Instead it was to be the fourth time that Kuwait have been hosts, after editions in 1974, 1990 and 2003.
On 3 July 2015, it was announced that the awarding of hosting rights to Kuwait was postponed after reviewing the technical reports and that a further announcement would be made later in the month. The dates of the competition were also slightly changed to take place from 22 December 2015 to 4 January 2016.[6]
Again, on 3 August 2015, the dates of the championship were pushed back to December 2016 or January 2017 due to infrastructure problems in Kuwait. Kuwait would continue to be the hosts. This again was changed in late August when Kuwait announced that they would host as initially agreed in December 2015, this was after most domestic leagues in the region had re-arranged their calendars due to the earlier postponement.[7][8]
On 19 October 2015, Kuwait withdrew from hosting following Kuwait Football Association's suspension from FIFA.[2] Only for themselves to be once again re-instated as hosts on 27 April 2016, but only if there suspension by FIFA was lifted by May 2016, failing this, the tournament would be hosted by Qatar in December 2017.[9]
The suspension was not lifted at the 66th FIFA Congress and therefore from the earlier announcement on 27 April, the tournament would be moved to Qatar to be played in December 2017.[10]
References
- ↑ "Kuwait set to replace Iraq as Gulf Cup hosts in 2016". QFA. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- 1 2 "KUNA : Kuwait won't host 23rd Gulf Cup - Cabinet - Government". kuna.net.kw. 19 October 2015.
- ↑ "Iraq named 2016 Gulf Cup hosts, final decision in three months". Qatar FA. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ↑ "Iraq officially suspends hosting Khaliji 23 Championship". Iraqi News.com. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
- ↑ "Gulf Cup shifts from Iraq to Saudi Arabia". SFGate. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- ↑ "Ali bin Khalifa attends GCC Associations meeting". BFA. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- ↑ "Arabian Gulf League to be affected as UAE domestic kick-off is postponed". Sport 360. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- ↑ "23rd Gulf Cup to be held Dec 22: KFA". Kuwait Times. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ↑ "2016 Gulf Cup in Kuwait in December 'if FIFA sanctions lifted'KFA". Qatar Football Association. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ↑ "FIFA Congress drives football forward, first female secretary general appointed". FIFA. Retrieved 14 May 2016.