MUSCAT– The 25th Arab Gulf Cup will be opening today with a match between Oman and the host team of Iraq at 8 PM tonight. During a press conference, Oman coach Branko Ivankovic expressed his high hopes for his team: “The Gulf Cup is an enthusiastic and ideal tournament, and we enter the championship with a very high ambition while respecting all opponents. They all have the ambition to win the title… The team [Oman] is fully prepared and we will give everything we have, and we are fully aware of the readiness of the Iraqi team hosting the championship and their high ambition in this tournament, and certainly facing the opening will be difficult, but the mass presence will motivate players to do their best.”

The opening ceremony of the 25th Arab Gulf Cup will commence at 6:45 pm at the Basra Stadium in Iraq. It will be attended by His Excellency Basil bin Ahmed Al-Rawas, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth for Sports and Youth.