Oman advances to Gulf Cup semi-finals via lottery

Oman secured a spot in the semi-finals of the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup through a dramatic lottery after finishing the group stage in a complete deadlock with Iraq.

During the final group match, Oman defeated Kuwait 3-1. However, Oman player Musab Al-Shaqsi received a yellow card for removing his shirt while celebrating his late goal. This disciplinary sanction erased Oman's advantage in the fair play tiebreaker, as both Oman and Iraq ended the group stage with identical points, goal differences, and a total of eight yellow cards each.

Because all statistical and disciplinary criteria were equal, the tournament organizers held a draw at a hotel in Jeddah to determine the advancing team. Oman won the draw, allowing them to join Saudi Arabia in the semi-finals, while Iraq was eliminated from the competition.