Tournaments ·
Saudi Arabia Beat Qatar on Penalties to Reach Gulf Cup Final Against UAE; Argentina Hit Burkina Faso for Seven Before Messi's Farewell
Saudi Arabia edged Qatar 3-2 on penalties after a goalless semi-final to reach the Gulf Cup 27 final, where they will meet the UAE on Tuesday. Elsewhere on a night of big scorelines, Argentina beat Burkina Faso 7-0, England won 7-0 in Croatia and Spain beat Czechia 3-1.
Saudi Arabia are through to the final of the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup after beating Qatar 3-2 on penalties in Saturday's semi-final. The match finished 0-0 after normal time and stayed goalless through extra time. Goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais was the decisive figure in the shootout, and Mukhtar Ali converted the winning kick for the Green Falcons after Qatar's Almoez Ali had sent his side's first penalty over the bar.
The hosts will face the United Arab Emirates in the final on Tuesday, October 6. The UAE won the other semi-final 1-0 against Oman, with Ousmane Camara scoring the only goal in the 22nd minute.
In Buenos Aires, Argentina beat Burkina Faso 7-0 in a friendly at the Estadio Monumental. Lautaro Martínez opened the scoring in the third minute, and Gianluca Prestianni, Nico Paz, Julián Álvarez, Franco Mastantuono and Giuliano Simeone also scored, alongside an own goal. Lionel Messi was not involved; reports say his farewell appearance for the national team is planned for the friendly against Benin on October 6.
In the UEFA Nations League, England won 7-0 away to Croatia in Rijeka — reported as the heaviest defeat in Croatia's history — with Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka scoring twice each and Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers adding the others. Spain beat Czechia 3-1 in Oviedo through Lamine Yamal, Rodri and Mikel Merino, their third win from three games in the group.
Match facts (all played Saturday, October 3, 2026)
• Saudi Arabia 0-0 Qatar (3-2 pens), Gulf Cup 27 semi-final — King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah. Referee: João Pinheiro (Portugal). Attendance: 51,342, according to the match record on Wikipedia.
• UAE 1-0 Oman, Gulf Cup 27 semi-final — Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium, Jeddah. Referee: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands) and attendance 2,088, both according to the match record on Wikipedia.
• Argentina 7-0 Burkina Faso, friendly — Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires. Referee: José Cabero (Chile). Attendance: no official figure published; Argentine media reported the stands about half full.
• Croatia 0-7 England, UEFA Nations League A3 — Stadion HNK Rijeka (Rujevica), Rijeka. Referee: Sven Jablonski (Germany). Attendance: 6,342 — no tickets were sold because of a UEFA sanction, and the crowd was made up of schoolchildren and academy players.
• Spain 3-1 Czechia, UEFA Nations League A3 — Estadio Carlos Tartiere, Oviedo. Referee: Vassilis Fotias (Greece). Attendance: 28,515.
• Final: Saudi Arabia v UAE — Tuesday, October 6, King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah. Referee not yet announced.
Sources: https://www.yallakora.com/arabian-gulf-cup/3062/news/568085 · https://arabic.cnn.com/sport/article/2026/10/03/saudi-arabia-qatar-gulf-cup-final · https://www.mobtada.com/sports/1655944 · https://www.lanacion.com.ar/deportes/futbol/argentina-vs-burkina-faso-en-vivo-nid03102026/ · https://www.abc.com.py/deportes/futbol/internacional/2026/10/03/7-0-argentina-apabullo-y-goleo-a-burkina-faso-en-la-antesala-de-la-despedida-de-messi/ · https://www.skysports.com/football/news/13594637/croatia-0-7-england-amazing-nations-league-win-as-harry-kane-and-bukayo-saka-each-score-twice-in-huge-victory · https://www.englandfootball.com/england/mens-senior-team/fixtures-results/2026-27/Nations-League/croatia-england-uefa-nations-league-saturday-3-october-2026-match-centre · https://www.infobae.com/america/agencias/2026/10/03/cronica-del-espana-chequia-3-1/ · https://theobjective.com/deportes/futbol/2026-10-03/espana-doblega-republica-checa-rotaciones-sigue-invicta-nations-league/ · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/27th_Arabian_Gulf_Cup · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026%E2%80%9327_UEFA_Nations_League_A · https://africasoccer.com/joao-pinheiro-to-referee-saudi-arabia-v-qatar-gulf-cup-27-semi-final/ · https://total-croatia-news.com/news/sport/croatia-suffer-heaviest-defeat-in-history-in-7-0-loss-to-england/ · https://www.telemadrid.es/deportes/3-1-Espana-gana-a-la-Republica-Checa-en-su-version-mas-gris-0-2931306855--20261003105000.html · https://www.cadena3.com/noticia/seleccion-argentina/argentina-se-hizo-un-festin-y-goleo-7-a-0-a-burkina-faso_600235
Gulf Cup · Saudi Arabia · Qatar · UAE · Argentina · Messi · England · Spain · Nations League
Competition: UEFA Nations League