21st Arabian Gulf Cup


The 21st Arabian Gulf Cup was the twenty-first edition of the biennial football competition. It took place in Bahrain in January 2013. The competition was originally scheduled to be hosted in the city of Basra, Iraq, but was moved to Bahrain in October 2011 to ensure that Iraq could suitably host the competition in the 22nd edition.

Seeding of teams

The eight participating teams were divided into two groups, Bahrain were placed in Group A, Kuwait in Group B, while the rest of the teams were placed in a pot based on FIFA rankings. The draw was held in Bahrain on 18 October 2012.
PotNational TeamFIFA Ranking
A 115
A 112
B 80
B 95
C 101
C 113
D 116
D 157

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of the 21st Arabian Gulf Cup took place in the Bahrain National Stadium on 5 January. The event featured the attendance of Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain, members of the ruling family, Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, Michel Platini, the president of UEFA as well as other officials. Blatter commended the ceremony, stating that "The opening ceremony was very nice: 9.5 out of 10 because perfection does not exist". Following the ceremony, Blatter also stated that the organisational level of the Gulf Cup would have to be improved if it was to be a FIFA-sanctioned event and wanted the cup to be played simultaneously with the Africa Cup of Nations.

Group stage

All times are local time.

Group A


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Group B


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Knockout stage

Semi-finals

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Goalscorers

;3 goals
;2 goals
;1 goal
;1 own goal

Team statistics

This table shows all team performance.

Prize money and awards

Prize money

The football associations were given prize money for a fourth place and above finish in the competition in riyals.
  • First Place: 2,000,000 Riyals
  • Second Place: 1,500,000 Riyals
  • Third Place: 500,000 Riyals
  • Fourth Place: 250,000 Riyals

Playing awards

The following awards were given:
AwardPlayerPrize money
Fair Play Award200,000 Riyals
Top Scorer