KUWAIT CITY, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- 23rd Arabian Gulf Cup kicked off on Friday at Kuwiati Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium followed by the opening game between the Kuwaiti and the Saudi national teams.

A musical showpiece launched on the opening ceremony before Saudi Arabia took to the pitch to beat Kuwait 2-1. UAE and Oman play the second game in Group A afterwards.

Group B starts on Saturday and features Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain and Yemen. The group matches will be played at Kuwait Sports Club Stadium.

The Gulf football cup attracts the football teams of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, Yemen and Kuwait.

The Gulf Cup of Nations or Arabian Gulf Cup is an international association football tournament originally for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states of the Persian Gulf, currently held on a biennial basis rotating the host city every edition.

The first Gulf Cup tournament took place in 1970, and was won by the Kuwaiti team.

The Kuwaiti team has won the title 10 times compared to three titles each for Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The UAE won it twice and Oman once.