Saudi Arabia will have a tough mission in the 19th Gulf Nations Soccer Cup which kicks off next January in Muscat. Saudi Arabia has been drawn in Group B when the draw was held in Oman on Wednesday. Saudi team coach Nasser Al-Johar represented the Saudi team in the ceremony. The three-time winner Saudi Arabia plays defending champion UAE which won the last cup that was held in Abu Dhabi in 2007. The UAE had edged Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the semifinals. The strong Group B also includes Qatar, which won the trophy twice in 2004 and 1992. Yemen, which joined the tournament for the first time in 2003, is also placed in Group B. Group A, which is headed by the host team Oman, includes Bahrain and Iraq while Kuwait will be placed in the same group if FIFA lifts its suspension. Kuwait was given about two months by the organizing committee of the tournament to solve its problems. If the suspension continues, only three teams will compete in Group A. Two teams from the two groups will proceed to the next stage. Kuwait holds the record number of nine wins in the competition which kicked off for the first time in 1970 in Kuwait. Saudi Arabia and Iraq come second in the champions record with three cups. The championship will kick off on Jan. 4 and it lasts for 14 days. __
