Doha, December 12 (QNA) - The Arabian Gulf Cup football championships have known several trophy designs since its inaugural edition in 1970. These designs symbolize the honor of winning and the historical legacy of the competition.
As the 26th edition approaches, hosted by Kuwait from Dec. 21 to Jan. 3, the tournament, now in the second half of its fifth decade (55 years), has seen six different trophy designs across various eras.
The State of Qatar has the honor of introducing half of these trophies, including the most recent design, introduced in 2004 before the 17th edition held in Doha.
The idea of establishing the the Gulf Cup belongs to Prince Khalid bin Faisal Al-Saud, with the first edition taking place in Bahrain after securing FIFA's approval. The event began on March 27, 1970, and concluded on April 3. The first trophy, designed in Bahrain and crafted in Lebanon from white gold, featured two olive branches and a hexagonal shape representing the Gulf nations. Kuwait's team claimed the trophy as the inaugural champion, beginning a long era of dominance.
Kuwait retained the title for three consecutive editions: 1970 in Bahrain, 1972 in Saudi Arabia, and 1974 in Kuwait. This achievement met the regulations established at the founding meeting, allowing Kuwait to permanently retain the trophy after three consecutive wins, similar to the World Cup rules.
In 1976, during the fourth edition hosted by Qatar, a new trophy design made of pure gold was introduced. Qatar became the first nation to alter the trophy design, maintaining the Gulf unity symbolism. This edition saw seven teams participate with Iraq joining the original six, but Kuwait continued its dominance by securing its fourth consecutive title.
A new design was introduced in the ninth edition in 1988, presented by Saudi Arabia during the tournament it hosted. The trophy, inspired by a tree trunk and a map of the Gulf countries, was crafted in France. This design followed Kuwait's retention of the previous Qatar-provided trophy after their sixth victory in the 1986 Bahrain edition.
Qatar returned to introduce a fourth design for the 11th edition in 1992, held in Doha. This design, created by Qatari artist Suleiman Al Malek, was inspired by a traditional incense burner ("mabkhara") used in Gulf homes. Al Malek incorporated a ball atop the burner and added a Shaheen falcon on either side, symbolizing skillful players. He modeled the trophy in clay and oversaw its production in Italy by Bertoni, creating a trophy that holds historical significance as the first to be lifted by Qatar in the Gulf Cup.
In 2002, Saudi Arabia presented another new design during the 15th edition, which it hosted. This trophy featured the Arabic incense burner with a football on top and colored lines representing the Gulf nations' teams.
Qatar introduced its third and the sixth overall design in 2004, for the 17th edition in Doha. Iraqi artist Ahmed Al Bahrani executed the Qatari-inspired design, which featured an incense burner topped with pearls, wrapped with a Gulf headdress ("ghutra and shemagh"), and crafted from pure gold in Italy.
As the previous cup carried a special significance for Qatari fans, the current trophy also carries one for them as well, marking Qatar's historic second title win in a highly competitive edition. This edition saw Iraq return after a long absence and introduced a new format with eight teams split into two groups instead of the single-round league system.
The current design remains in use, officially adopted by the Arabian Gulf Cup Football Federation in May 2016. This federation now oversees both national and club Gulf competitions, with the latter launched under its supervision for the first time this season.
The trophy will not see a new design unless a team wins three consecutive editions, allowing them to permanently retain the trophy, after which a new design will be commissioned. (QNA)