One of the stadiums of the Championship

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 11: The 10-day countdown is underway to one of the most eagerly anticipated editions of the Khaleeji Zain 26, the Arabian Gulf’s most prestigious biennial football tournament.

While the eight national teams of the Arabian Gulf prepare for the two-week festival of football in Kuwait from December 21 to January 3, the finishing touches are being applied to the two magnificent stadiums that will welcome hundreds of thousands of fans for the 15 group stage and knockout matches.

Matches will be played at both the 57,000-capacity Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium and the 15,000-seater Jaber Al-Mubarak International Stadium, which are being fitted with the latest cutting-edge fan management system.

With the onus on creating a memorable spectator experience for all attending games, two layers of ticket checks will be in place to ensure a smooth process for fans to reach their seats.

Tickets are now on sale through the ‘Hayakom’ application, with each one having a unique QR code that can only be scanned once at the stadium to avoid fake or duplicated tickets.

The first check will take place at the exterior boundaries of the stadiums with trained staff and volunteers using handheld devices to authenticate the ticket. There will be 130 devices at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium and 50 used at the smaller Jaber Al-Mubarak International Stadium.

Once the ticket is scanned and cleared, fans will then proceed towards a second check before they can advance into the stadium bowl itself.

At Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, 50 double full-height turnstiles with 100 QR code readers are being installed, while this second tier of checks at Jaber Al-Mubarak International Stadium will consist of 58 readers on 36 ‘tripod’ turnstiles.

The spectator-management system will allow for a steady flow of fans into the stadium and to avoid overcrowding at the gates. It is a similar system used at major football tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup.

All fans will also need to pass through security checks on their way into the stadium with hundreds of trained spectator service volunteers on duty to provide any assistance.

Fans are advised to reach the stadiums early, with the gates set to open three hours before kick-off when entertainment will also begin inside the venues to ensure a fun-filled fan experience.

The Khaleeji Zain 26 will see hosts Kuwait joined by Oman, UAE, and Qatar in Group A, with the reigning champions Iraq, Yemen, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia contesting Group B.

The top two from each group will go through to the semi-finals before the final is played at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium on January 3.