UAE head second group

Abu Dhabi: The UAE, defending champions of the Gulf Cup, head the second group for the 19th edition of the tournament, organised in Muscat, in January 2009.

This was decided in a meeting of the tournament's committee held in the Omani capital yesterday. The meeting also decided that the hosts, Oman, will play the opening match of the tournament on January 14, 2009.

Their opponents will be decided after the draw, to be conducted in October. Oman and the UAE, who played the opening and final of the last tournament in Abu Dhabi last year, will head the two groups as hosts and defending champions with Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Yemen divided into the two groups according to their Fifa rankings.