Drawing of lots sends Oman to Gulf Cup 27 semi-finals at Iraq's expense
Oman and Iraq finished Group A of Gulf Cup 27 identical on every tiebreaker — points, goals, head-to-head and discipline — so a midnight draw of lots at a Jeddah hotel sent Oman through as runners-up behind Saudi Arabia, while Graham Arnold protested that Iraq's superior FIFA ranking should have decided it.
Oman reached the Gulf Cup 27 semi-finals after a drawing of lots separated them from Iraq, who finished Group A identical on every tiebreaker after Tuesday’s final matches in Jeddah, Shafaq News reports.
Oman came from a goal down to beat Kuwait 3-1 at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium: Shabib Al-Khaldi put Kuwait ahead in the sixth minute, Nasser Al-Rawahi struck in the 65th and 81st, and Musab Al-Shaqsi headed a third in the 84th, per Kuwait Times. Hosts Saudi Arabia beat Iraq 2-0 — Abdullah Al-Salem (54th), Abdullah Al-Hamdan (70th) — to top the group with nine points.
The two sides were level on four points and every tiebreaker: four goals scored, five conceded, a 1-1 draw in their opener, eight yellow cards apiece, no reds. Oman’s players were initially told they had qualified and Iraq’s that they were out before officials corrected it, Gulf News reports. Reports say Al-Shaqsi was booked for removing his shirt celebrating the third goal, levelling the disciplinary count — confirmed at eight yellows each by the Gulf federation’s competitions committee.
The draw, held at the InterContinental Hotel in Jeddah at around midnight local time, picked Oman. Iraq coach Graham Arnold protested: “We must resort to FIFA regulations. Our level is higher than Oman, and our ranking is higher than theirs. If we want to be fair, we must follow the rules.” Iraq are reported to rank 63rd in the world to Oman’s 80th, but the tournament regulations called for the draw.
Oman play the Group B winners in the semi-finals on October 3; Saudi Arabia face the runners-up. Qatar meet the UAE on September 30 to decide Group B, with the final on October 6.
Sources
- Shafaq News — https://shafaq.com/en/sport/Draw-sends-Oman-through-knocks-Iraq-out
- Gulf News — https://gulfnews.com/sport/rare-scenes-as-a-draw-decided-gulf-cup-27-semifinalists-between-oman-and-iraq-1.500692783
- The Peninsula — https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/30/09/2026/rare-draw-of-lots-takes-oman-over-iraq-to-gulf-cup-semis
- Kuwait Times — https://kuwaittimes.com/article/50691/sports/kuwait-crash-out-of-gulf-cup-as-oman-advance-on-drawing-of-lots/
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