Doha: Qatar will begin their campaign at the U-17 Gulf Cup Qatar 2026 against China in the tournament’s opening match on Friday at Hamad Al Kabir Stadium, in the first round of Group A fixtures.The tournament features 10 teams divided into two groups of five, with a total of 23 matches to be played.Hosts Qatar head Group A alongside the UAE, Oman, Bahrain and China, while defending champions Saudi Arabia lead Group B, which also includes Iraq, Kuwait, Yemen and Egypt.Alongside the Qatar–China encounter, the UAE will face Bahrain at Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium in Friday’s other opening-round fixture.Qatar will aim for a strong start against tournament debutants China, with victory representing an important step towards securing one of the group’s two semi-final places.Qatar coach Nicolas Arnaldo has named a 23-player squad for the tournament: Ali Ismail, Mohammed Osama, Mohammed Hammoudi, Jaafar Okin, Omar Ahmed, Mubarak Al-Dosari, Yousef Hilal, Abdulrahman Adel, Kaidi Hilton, Ali Yousef, Faris Obaida, Hamed Fadi, Abdullah Al-Dosari, Omar Ayman, Yassin Murad, Sultan Al-Nuaimi, Aidan Miller, Mohammed Al-Jabri, Ahmed Mohammed, Anas Hammad, Mohammed Abu Shaqra, Louay Ahmed and Abdullah Al-Sayed.Saudi Arabia will begin their title defence against Egypt on Saturday at Hamad Al Kabir Stadium, while Iraq take on Yemen at Saud bin Abdulrahman Stadium on the same day.The group stage will continue until 29 October, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals on 1 November. The final will take place on 4 November at Hamad Al Kabir Stadium.Under the tournament regulations, any semi-final or final that ends level after normal time will go directly to a penalty shoot-out to determine the winners.Egypt and China are taking part by official invitation to broaden participation in the tournament. Their inclusion offers the competing teams varied and competitive opposition as they prepare for upcoming international events, particularly the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2026 for those who have qualified.Saudi Arabia won the inaugural U-17 Gulf Cup, held in Qatar in 2025, defeating the UAE 2–0 in the final.