The UAE will discover who they will face in the group stages of the 2014 Gulf Cup on Tuesday, August 12 when the official draw is made in Riydah, Saudi Arabia.
As defending champions, the UAE will be placed in Group B while hosts Saudi will head Group A. The rest of the nations will be drawn in accordance to their FIFA world ranking, meaning the UAE will face Oman or Qatar, Iraq or Bahrain, and Kuwait or Yemen.
The draw ceremony will be held at Al Masak Palace and the tournament’s logo and mascot are expected to be unveiled.
All matches will be played at the King Fahad International Stadium and Prince Faisal bin Fahad Stadium.
The 22nd edition of the Gulf Cup is scheduled to begin on November 13 with the final set to take place on November 26.
– Dr Abdullah Misfer interview: Leading the future of UAE football
The UAE clinched their second Gulf Cup in January 2013 when they defeated Iraq 2-1 in the final.
En route to the final, the Whites beat Qatar 3-1, hosts Bahrain 2-1, and Oman 2-0 in the group stage.
Mahdi Ali’s men then edged past Kuwait 1-0 in the semi-final before needing extra-time to defeat Iraq in the showcase.
The Gulf Cup will be the ideal prelude to the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia where the UAE are tipped to make a big impression.
The UAE squad will head to Austria on August 13 for a three-week training camp that will include friendly fixtures with Norway on August 27, Lithuania on September 3 and Paraguay on September 7.
