The Qatari football team in their Group A, Gulf Cup of Nations fixture. Photo: X/QFA The Qatari football team in their Group A, Gulf Cup of Nations fixture. Photo: X/QFA

Qatar, the reigning Asian champions and FIFA World Cup 2022 hosts, are on the cusp of making a humiliating group stage exit from the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup, the Gulf Cup of Nations 2024. Winless in two outings, they face the tournament's most successful side, Kuwait in a must-win Group A match on Friday (December 27, 2024). Watch the Kuwait vs Qatar football match live. (More Football News)

Luis Garcia's Maroons, 46th in the FIFA Rankings, entered the regional competition as the overwhelming favourites. But the three-time champions were held to a 1-1 draw by the United Arab Emirates (68th) and then suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of the third-lowest ranked team, Oman (80th).

In contrast, Kuwait produced clinical performances against Oman (1-1) and a win over the UAE (2-1). Backed by a vociferous home crowd, Juan Antonio Pizzi's men have belied their global rankings. At 134th, they are the second-lowest-ranked team in the competition.

Of course, the Blues have always produced their best in this competition. But it was in 2010 when they last won the Gulf Cup of Nations, for a record 10 title. A win, or even a draw against Qatar will confirm a semi-final spot.

Qatar need all three points against Kuwait to stand a chance of making the knock-outs. In fact, even a win might not be enough for the Maroons as two teams -- Oman and Kuwait -- have already pocketed four points each.

The Friday double-header will also see Group A leaders Oman take on third-place UAE at Sulaibikhat Stadium, Sulaibikhat. Both Oman and UAE are two-time champions. Check match and telecast details of the UAE vs Oman clash HERE.

Kuwait Vs Qatar Head-To-Head

The Arabian Gulf Cup 2024, Group A match will be the 39th meeting between Kuwait and Qatar. Kuwait lead Qatar 20-14 in head-to-head and also have a +13 goal difference in the fixture. Qatar's biggest international defeat, for the record, was also inflicted by Kuwait -- 0-9 in January 1973.

But the Maroons have won the last five matches in this particular Arabian fixture, including two meetings in 2024.

Kuwait Vs Qatar, Arabian Gulf Cup Match And Telecast Details

When is the Kuwait vs Qatar, Gulf Cup of Nations 2024-25 Group A match?

The Kuwait vs Qatar, Gulf Cup of Nations 2024-25 Group A match at Jaber International Stadium, Kuwait City is scheduled for December 27 (Friday). The kick-off time is 8:00 PM IST/17:30 PM local time.

Where to watch the Kuwait vs Qatar, Gulf Cup of Nations 2024-25 Group A fixture?

The Kuwait vs Qatar, Gulf Cup of Nations 2024-25 Group A fixture won't be telecast in India.

For fans in Kuwait and Qatar, all the Gulf Cup of Nations 2024-25 matches can be watched on STARZPLAY, Shahid, and Dubai Sports 1.

Kuwait Vs Qatar Squads

Kuwait

Goalkeepers: Khaled Al-Rashidi, Sulaiman Abdulghafour, and Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli.

Defenders: Sami Al-Sanea, Meshari Ghanem, Khalid El Ebrahim, Fahad Al-Hajeri, Hamad Al-Harbi, Rashed Al-Dousari, Hassan Al-Enezi, Nasser Khader, and Muath Al-Dhefiri.

Midfielders: Sultan Al-Enezi, Ahmed Al-Dhefiri, Faisal Zayid, Eid Al-Rashidi, Redha Hani, Mobarak Al-Faneeni, Fawaz Ayedh, and Muath Al-Enezi.

Forwards: Mohammad Daham, Bandar Bouresli, Yousef Majed, Ali Khalaf, Yousef Nasser (c), and Salman Al-Awadhi.

Qatar

Goalkeepers: Salah Zakaria, Marwan Badreldin, and Meshaal Barsham.

Defenders: Abdalla Yousif, Abdelaziz Mitwali, Hashemi Al-Hussain, Tarek Salman, Lucas Mendes, Homam El-Amin, Bahaa Ellethy, and Sultan Al-Brake.

Midfielders: Ahmed Fathy, Jassem Gaber, Ibrahim Al-Hassan, Rabh Boussafi, Abdelrahman Moustafa, Abdullah Al-Ahrak, Assim Madibo, Mostafa Meshaal, Mubarak Hamza, Ahmed Al-Rawi, Mohammed Muntari, and Akram Afif (c).

Forwards: Yusuf Abdurisag, Almoez Ali, and Mohamed Khaled Gouda.

Last year, India won the title at home, making them the only team to bag four titles in the history of the tournament.

What's happening in Group B?

The Gulf Cup of Nations 2024-25 is being played in two Kuwaiti cities -- Ardhiya and Sulaibikhat. The eight-team competition started on December 21 and will conclude with the final on January 3 next year.

With two wins in twodiamond game, Bahrain have qualified for the semi-finals from Group B. They will take on already-eliminated Yemen in their final group match, while Saudi Arabia and Iraq clash in a virtual knock-out on Saturday. Both matches kick off at 8:00 PM IST/17:30 PM local time.