The technical committee for the Jeddah 2026 football tournament concluded its coordination and technical meeting, held today at the headquarters of the Ministry of Sports branch in the Makkah region, with a notable attendance from representatives of the participating teams. This meeting was held to finalize and discuss the regulations and bylaws for the second edition of the tournament, which is scheduled to take place from February 2, 2026, to March 3, 2026.
Meeting details and regulations
The meeting included a comprehensive review of the tournament's approved technical regulations. The organizing committee clarified all aspects of the competition system and qualification mechanisms, and addressed all inquiries and questions raised by team representatives. This tournament is particularly significant due to the diversity of its participants, bringing together 24 teams, equally divided between 12 teams representing government entities and 12 amateur and neighborhood league teams, thus fostering a spirit of sportsmanship across different segments of society.
The context and objectives of the tournament in light of Vision 2030
This tournament comes within the context of the significant sporting development taking place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and aligns with the objectives of the Quality of Life Program, one of the programs under the Kingdom's Vision 2030, which aims to promote sports participation in society. Football tournaments that bring together government sectors and amateur teams are a vital means of expanding the base of sports practitioners and providing a healthy competitive environment that contributes to improved physical fitness and strengthens social bonds among employees of different sectors and the youth of the region.
Host stadiums and decisive stages
Regarding the venues that will host the matches, the technical committee outlined the schedule for the participating teams. It was decided that the group stage, round of 16, and quarter-final matches will be held at the Olympic Village stadium. As the competition intensifies and the tournament reaches its decisive stages, the excitement will move to King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah (The Shining Jewel), where the reserve stadium will host the semi-final matches, the third-place match, and the final, which will crown the champion.
Draw results and group distribution
The tournament draw resulted in some highly anticipated and challenging matches, with the government teams divided into four groups as follows:
Group A: Ministry of Sports branch in Makkah Region, Civil Defense, Ministry of Education.
Group B: National Guard (Western Sector), Jeddah Police, Royal Guard.
Group C: Facilities Security Forces, Jeddah Security Patrols, Special Forces for Environmental Security.
Group D: Border Guard (Makkah Region), Diplomatic Security, Saudi Aramco.
As for the Amateur League, the groups included teams with a long history in neighborhood football, and the distribution was as follows:
Group E: Al-Qunfudhah, Al-Ustoura, and Al-Tumooh.
Group F: Noor Academy, Salam Al-Jami'a, and Shabab Al-Azz.
Group G: Najoum Al-Fursan Taif, Al-Taawon Jeddah, and Al-Rasoukh Jeddah.
Group H: Al-Arabi Jeddah, Al-Widad Taif, and United for Former Players.
