The General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) has announced full operational readiness at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to receive teams, delegations, and fans arriving for Gulf Cup 27 (Khaleeji 27), which the city will host from 23 September to 6 October 2026.
Matches will be played at King Abdullah Sports City (Alinma Stadium) and Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City, with 15 games scheduled among eight Gulf national teams over the two-week period. Saudi Arabia, as host, will play its group-stage matches at Alinma Stadium, with evening kick-offs typically between 20:30 and 21:00 local time.
Passport counters at the airport have been reinforced with additional qualified personnel trained in multiple languages to handle tournament traffic and speed up entry procedures. Processing relies on biometric verification, e-gates, and integrated digital systems linked to national platforms for rapid identity and visa checks.
Priority handling has been arranged for official team delegations and technical staff, accredited media and tournament officials, and organized fan groups arriving on charter or group flights. Visitors using online visa services will have their digital visa data validated automatically at ports of entry.
What visitors should know
Standard visit visa fees for foreign visitors remain at SAR 300 for the visa plus SAR 180 for medical insurance, with a typical validity of 90 days These terms also apply to Gulf Cup spectators using visit visas, and no special additional Jawazat fee has been announced specifically for tournament arrivals beyond existing visa and entry fees.
Spectators are not required to use any specific national app at airport passport counters, as entry checks are handled through the integrated systems at e-gates. The measures aim to ease arrivals for fans traveling to Jeddah for one of the region's most anticipated football events.
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