24 referees appointed for Gulf U-17 Cup Qatar 2026

The Gulf Football Association (GFA) has announced the list of referees in charge of managing the matches of the second edition of the Gulf Cup U-17 Qatar 2026, which will be hosted in Doha from October 16 to November 4, with the participation of 10 teams playing 23 matches, in the largest edition of the tournament in terms of the number of participating teams.

The U-17 Gulf Cup is organized by the Local Organizing Committee of the State of Qatar, in coordination with the Gulf Football Association.

The Gulf Federation's Referees Committee announced a list of 24 referees and assistant referees from member national federations, namely: Abdullah Yahya Zarban, Mohammed Ahmed Wazi, Ali Mohammed Al-Qahtani, and Saad Abdulrahman Al-Shabarmi (Saudi Arabia). Abdulrahman Ali Al-Mulla, Ibrahim Mohammed Al-Dosari, Hamad Saleh Al-Eisani, and Hamad Yousef Yousef (Qatar). Walith Enad Satami and Shaker Khal Adib (Iraq). Badr Jumaa Bujoumhour, Hamid Nasser Al-Qaywani, Zayed Ibrahim Al-Nuaimi, and Hamad Khalifa Al-Ketbi (UAE). Mohammed Rashid Ismail and Khalid Mohammed Talfat (Bahrain). Dawood Saleh Al-Abdullah and Shafi Khalid Al-Failakawi (Kuwait). Mohammed Abdulkarim Bassaleh and Yasser Qassem Al-Droubi (Yemen). Mohammed Murad Al Balushi, Jassim Yaqoob Al Ameri, Abdulmajeed Abdullah Al Ghadani and Saleh Ali Al Balushi (Oman).

As part of the preparations for the start of the competitions, the activities of the preparatory camp for the referees kicked off on Wednesday, which includes theoretical lectures during the morning and practical exercises during the evening period at Doha Stadium. Today's lectures witnessed a review of a number of technical cases, discussion of developmental aspects, in addition to explaining the instructions for the tournament, with the aim of enhancing the readiness of the referees and improving the level of refereeing performance during the matches.

Mr. Hani Taleb Balan, Chairman of the Referees Committee at the Gulf Football Association, opened the activities of the camp with a meeting with the participating referees, during which he welcomed their presence in the State of Qatar, wishing them success in performing their duties during the tournament. Blanc stressed the importance of focus, commitment and discipline, and the need to leave a positive imprint in the tournament by providing distinguished refereeing levels, expressing his confidence in the abilities of the selected referees and their competence in managing matches fairly and integrally.

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