Referees announced for Gulf U-17 Cup semifinals in Qatar
The Gulf Football Association has named the officiating teams for Sunday's U-17 Gulf Cup semifinals, to be played at Hamad Al-Kabeer and Hamad bin Khalifa stadiums.
Key Takeaways
AIThe Referees Committee of the Gulf Football Association has announced the officiating teams for the semifinals of the second edition of the Gulf U-17 Cup—Qatar 2026—scheduled for Sunday at Hamad Al-Kabeer and Hamad bin Khalifa stadiums.
Qatar is hosting the tournament until November 4, with 10 teams competing in 23 matches, making this the largest edition in the tournament’s history in terms of participating teams. The event is organized by the local organizing committee in Qatar in coordination with the Gulf Football Association.
The committee has appointed Qatari referee Abdulrahman Al-Mulla to officiate the match between the UAE and Yemen at Hamad Al-Kabeer Stadium, assisted by compatriot Ibrahim Al-Dosari and Kuwait’s Shafi Al-Failakawi. Bahrain’s Mohammed Rashid will serve as fourth official, with Qatar’s Hamad Al-Eisai as VAR referee and Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Wazi as AVAR. Abdulrahman Al-Omari has been named referee assessor.
For the second semifinal between Egypt and China at Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium, Omani referee Mohammed Murad Al-Balushi will take charge, assisted by compatriot Jassim Al-Amri and Iraq’s Shaker Adeeb. Iraq’s Laith Satami will serve as fourth official, with Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Razban as VAR and Saad Al-Shabrami as AVAR. Jassim Al-Hail has been appointed referee assessor.
The semifinals are crucial in determining the finalists, as all four teams aim to continue their journey and compete for the title after advancing from the group stage to the last four.
The tournament will conclude on Wednesday, November 4, with the final scheduled for 5:45 p.m. at Hamad Al-Kabeer Stadium. If either semifinal or the final ends in a draw after regular time, the match will go directly to penalty shootouts.