UAE team players pose at the airport before their departure for Doha.

The Gulf Cup begins in Doha on Tuesday when Qatar faces Iraq  at Doha's Khalifa Stadium at 1630 GMT in the tournament opener.

The UAE will face Yemen two hours later, while Qatar will not face any of the nations enforcing the embargo until its group-stage clash with the UAE on Dec.2.

The match will be closely watched for the behaviour of both the home support as well as any visiting fans.

Iraq, Kuwait, Oman and Yemen will also vie for the cup at the tournament which wraps up on Dec.8.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain announced earlier this month they would contest the 24th Arabian Gulf title despite their boycott of Qatar since June 2017.

Advertising for the Cup dotted around Doha was quickly updated to include the flags of the three newly added competitors.

"Welcome to Qatar," the Qatar Football Association tweeted on Monday along with a heart emoji and a welcome video of the Emirati team arriving in Doha.

An official from the Cairo-based Arab League is to visit Doha for a conference during the tournament.

The boycotting countries had refused to participate in the previous Gulf Cup two years ago, which was originally scheduled to be held in Qatar just a few months after the crisis erupted.

But they took part when the tournament was subsequently moved to Kuwait.

Agence France-Presse