Doha: The Qatari national under-23 football team will face their Iraqi counterparts tomorrow, Sunday, at Aspire Stadium No. 2, in the semi-final of the Gulf Under-23 Cup, which is being hosted by Qatar.

Qatar booked their place in the next stage of the tournament after finishing second in Group A with seven points. They opened their campaign with a 3–0 victory over Kuwait, followed by a 1–0 win against Bahrain, before drawing 1–1 with Saudi Arabia in the third round.

The Qatari team head into the match aiming to secure victory and claim a place in the final, scheduled for next Tuesday. Portuguese head coach Alido Valy is counting on several players who delivered standout performances during the group stage, notably forwards Mustafa Al-Sayed and Amro Abdel Fattah.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi team reached the semi-finals after topping Group B with six points. They defeated Oman 2–0 and overcame the UAE 1–0 in the second round, recovering from a 2–1 defeat to Yemen in the opening round.

In the other semi-final, Saudi Arabia will face the UAE at Aspire Stadium No. 1.

Saudi Arabia advanced to the semi-finals after finishing top of Group A with seven points, having opened with a 5–0 win over Bahrain, followed by a 1–0 victory against Kuwait, before drawing 1–1 with Qatar in the final group match.

The UAE finished second in Group B with six points, after defeating Yemen 3–1 in the opening round and overcoming Oman 2–0, before suffering a 1–0 loss to Iraq in the third and final round.