Al Hamdan, 20, has become a mainstay in Herve Renard's plans since being drafted into the Saudi Arabia squad three months ago, scoring his first national team goal in the Asian Qualifiers' tie against Singapore in October.

The Al Shahab forward has scored once in the 2019 Gulf Cup - against Bahrain - and is looking forward to taking on Qatar's defenders at the Al Janoub Stadium in the semi-final.

It will be the fourth meeting between the two sides since August, with Iraq winless in their previous three showdowns.

Bahrain defeated Srecko Katanec’s side 1-0 in the 2019 WAFF Championship final in August while their two meetings in the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 ended in draws – 1-1 and 0-0.

Both sides overcame difficult starts to advance to the semi-finals, with Saudi Arabia suffering a 3-1 defeat to Iraq and Qatar losing 2-1 to Iraq.

Qatar bounced back with wins over Yemen (6-0) and United Arab Emirates (4-2) to as Group A runners-up while Saudi Arabia topped Group B after defeating Bahrain (2-0) and defending champions Oman (3-1).

Bahrain defeated Kuwait 4-2 in their final Group B match on Monday to advance to the last four stage, where they will meet Group A winners Iraq.

Qatar, however, finished second in Group A after Iraq drew 0-0 with Yemen to secure top spot on seven points. Qatar collected six points from their wins over Yemen and UAE, having lost 2-1 to Iraq in their opener.

Qatar will play Group B winners Saudi Arabia in the semi-finals on Thursday while Iraq will face Bahrain.

Bahrain beat Kuwait 4-2 to finish as Group B runners-up and will face Iraq in the semi-finals. Bahrain advanced on goal difference after they and Oman finished on four points.

Saudi Arabia's win meant they topped Group B and will face hosts Qatar in the other semi-final.

Saudi Arabia bounced back from their opening defeat against Kuwait to defeat Bahrain 2-0 as the race for Group B's semi-final spots will be decided on Monday.