KUWAIT/IRAQ, Jan 4: Zain, a leading mobile telecom innovator in seven markets across the Middle East and Africa, will be the title sponsor of the 25th Arab Gulf Cup silver jubilee edition, entitled “Khaleeji Zain 25”, to be held in Basra Governorate, Iraq between January 6-19, 2023. Zain is a passionate supporter of youth and sports tournaments across the region, and the reintroduction of international football activities to Iraq re-establishes the country’s presence on the regional football map once more. The Arab Gulf Cup was last hosted in Iraq in 1979 when the country won the title, and 44 years later, the tournament triumphantly returns.

The competition is held once every two years in one of the member states of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation, namely Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE or Yemen. Supporting this milestone occasion and welcoming the teams and delegations participating in the tournament, Zain launched a campaign entitled “Eldenya Basra”, emphasizing the importance of this event and highlighting the joint efforts undertaken to maximize youth empowerment, sports development, and the return of regional competitions to Iraq. As part of its “Eldenya Basra” campaign running on social media platforms and media channels, Zain released a special song performed by Iraqi artist, Mahmoud El Turki to refl ect Basra’s rich cultural background and historic links to the Gulf countries. “Khaleeji Zain 25” is organized and supervised by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation in Basra, with live telecast and streaming available on various TV and online media channels.

Following the successful hosting of the World Cup in the region, “Khaleeji Zain 25” will bring together fans, officials and the best Gulf players on Iraqi soil in Basra. Mobile Telecommunications Company K.S.C.P. (doing business as Zain), is a Kuwaiti mobile telecommunications company founded in 1983 in Kuwait as MTC (Mobile Telecommunications Company), and later rebranded as Zain in 2007. Zain has a commercial presence in seven countries across the Middle East with 49.5 million active customers as of 31 December 2019. The Vice Chairman and Group CEO is Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi, who was appointed in March 2017. Approximately 24.6% of the company is owned by Kuwait Investment Authority; 21.9% is owned by Omantel; only shareholders that own above 5% are disclosed.

The Zain brand is one of the most recognized telecom brands across the MENA region, with a brand value in excess of US$2.3 billion Zain is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange. There are no restrictions on Zain shares as the company’s capital is 100% free fl oat and publicly traded. The largest shareholder is the Kuwait Investment Authority (24.6%). For the full-year 2019, Zain Group generated consolidated revenue of KD 1.66 billion (US$5.5 billion), an impressive 26% Y-o-Y growth, while consolidated EBITDA for the period rose by 40% Y-o-Y to reach KD 728 million (US$2.4 billion), refl ecting a healthy EBITDA margin of 44%. Consolidated net income reached KD 217 million (US$715 million), up 10% and refl ecting Earnings Per Share of 50 Fils (US$0.17).