0 from 5: the curse of the finals threatens Saudi Arabia's dreams against the UAE

Saudi Arabia on a difficult mission

Saudi Arabia fear their final heartbreak could continue when they face the UAE in the final of the 27th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup, "Gulf 27".

The Saudis saw off Qatar on penalties on Saturday evening at the Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah, after the semi-final finished goalless in both normal and extra time.

That result sent them through to the final, where the UAE await on Tuesday evening at the same venue.

Against the UAE, Saudi Arabia will be chasing their first title in 23 years, dating back to their 2003 triumph in this very competition.

Five times since then they have reached a final across the AFC Asian Cup and the Arabian Gulf Cup. Each time, they have come up short.

It started at the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. Saudi Arabia walked into the final as overwhelming favourites, only to suffer a shock single-goal defeat to Iraq.

Four Arabian Gulf Cup finals have ended in Saudi disappointment since. The run began at Gulf 19 in 2009, when Oman beat them on penalties.

Two years later came another gut-punch. At Gulf 20 in 2011, Kuwait edged them with a single goal in extra time.

Gulf 22 in 2014 told a similar story, Qatar winning 2-1 in normal time.

Their most recent setback arrived at the Gulf 24 final in 2019, when Bahrain beat them by a single goal.

Now the Saudis fear the curse could strike again in the Gulf 27 final, this time against a fresh opponent in the UAE, who have impressed throughout the current edition.