2013 Gulf Cup of Nations
| كأس الخلیج العربي 2013، خليجي 21 | |
|---|---|
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| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Bahrain |
| Dates | 5–18 January |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |
 United Arab Emirates (2nd title)
|
| Runners-up |  Iraq |
| Third place |  Kuwait |
| Fourth place |  Bahrain |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 36 (2.25 per match) |
| Attendance | 319,000 (19,938 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
Abdulhadi Khamis Ahmed Khalil (3 goals) |
| Best player |
Omar Abdulrahman
|
The 2013 Gulf Cup of Nations or Arabian Gulf Cup (Arabic: كأس الخليج العربي) was the twenty first edition of the biennial football competition. It took place in Bahrain in 2013. The competition was originally scheduled to be hosted in the city of Basra, Iraq, but was moved to Bahrain in October 2011 to ensure that Iraq could suitably host the competition in the 22nd edition.
The eight participating teams were divided into two groups, Bahrain (the host nation) were placed in Group A, Kuwait (the holder) in Group B, while the rest of the teams were placed in a pot based on FIFA rankings. The draw was held in Bahrain on 18 October 2012.
The opening ceremony of the 2013 Gulf Cup of Nations took place in the Bahrain National Stadium on 5 January. The event featured the attendance of Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain, members of the ruling family, Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, Michel Platini, the president of UEFA as well as other officials. Blatter commended the ceremony, stating that "The opening ceremony was very nice: 9.5 out of 10 because perfection does not exist". Following the ceremony, Blatter also stated that the organisational level of the Gulf Cup would have to be improved if it was to be a FIFA-sanctioned event and wanted the cup to be played simultaneously with the Africa Cup of Nations.
All times are local time (UTC+03:00).
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