The 7th Arabian Gulf Cup was the seventh edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup (also known as the Gulf Cup of Nations), a biennial football tournament contested by the national teams of the Arabian Gulf states. The competition was hosted by Qatar in 1984.
Tournament details
| Attribute | Information |
|---|---|
| Host nation | Qatar |
| Venue(s) | Matches were played in Doha (specific stadiums not definitively documented in publicly available sources). |
| Dates | March 1984 (exact start and end dates are not consistently recorded in reliable references). |
| Participating teams | Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar (host), Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates. |
| Competition format | Single round‑robin league; each team played every other team once. The team with the highest point total was declared the champion. |
| Champion | Kuwait (recorded as the tournament winner). |
| Runner‑up | Iraq (generally listed as second‑place). |
| Third place | Saudi Arabia (commonly placed third). |
| Number of matches | 15 (each of the six teams played five matches). |
| Total goals scored | Not precisely documented in accessible sources; approximate figures vary among reports. |
Significance
- The 7th Arabian Gulf Cup continued Kuwait’s dominance in the early history of the competition; the victory marked Kuwait’s sixth Gulf Cup title.
- The tournament reinforced Qatar’s role as a recurring host for Gulf football events, preceding its later development as a major venue for international sports.
Historical context
The Arabian Gulf Cup was inaugurated in 1970 and quickly became the principal football competition among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and adjacent Arab states. By the time of the seventh edition, the competition had established a regular biennial rhythm, with the participating nations using the tournament both as a regional championship and as preparation for larger continental contests such as the AFC Asian Cup.
Legacy
Kuwait’s victory in the 1984 edition contributed to its record tally of Gulf Cup championships, a record it held for several decades. The tournament also served to increase the visibility of football in Qatar, foreshadowing the nation’s later investment in sports infrastructure and its successful bids for major events, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Note: While the core details of the host nation, participating teams, and champion are corroborated by multiple historical records, precise information regarding the exact match dates, venues, and total goal count remains limited in publicly available encyclopedic sources.