Former Iraqi national team star, Nashat Akram, sparked widespread controversy in Egypt and Jordan due to statements he made about the idea of teams from outside the Gulf region participating in the Gulf Cup tournament.
Nashat Akram, in statements he made during his appearance on the sports program "Al Majlis", considered that the presence of teams like Egypt and Jordan would not represent a real technical addition to the competition.
Akram’s statements sparked a wave of reactions across social media platforms, after he linked the participation of Arab teams from outside the Gulf region to the financial aspect, considering that the main motivation behind such participation would be to obtain financial rewards and prizes, rather than achieving technical benefit or providing a strong addition to the tournament.
Nashat Akram said that "the nominated teams from outside the Arabian Gulf region view the tournament with a purely financial motive, without caring about technical benefit or providing added value to the competitions."
Nashat Akram's statements caused angry reactions among the fans of Egypt and Jordan. A number of observers considered that reducing the participation of two national teams like Egypt and Jordan to the financial factor ignores their technical and historical value, especially since the "Pharaohs" and the "Nashama" are among the most prominent Arab national teams.
The controversy coincided with the holding of the 27th edition of the Gulf Cup in the Saudi city of Jeddah, a tournament that began on September 23, 2026 and will continue until October 6, with the participation of 8 national teams: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Yemen.
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