16 teams from across the region square off against one another in Qatar on Monday, the biggest football competition in the Arab world.
Everything you need to know about the tournament, which takes place every four years, is listed below:
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What dates are crucial?
Tunisia and Syria will face off in the opening match of the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 on Monday.
The 32-match tournament will come to an end on December 18 when the final match will be played.
- December 1 through December 9
- December 11 and December 12 in the quarterfinals
- December 15 in the semi-finals
- December 18 playoff for third place
- 18th December, the final
Where is the location of the competition?
Qatar, which hosted the 1998 and 2021 competitions, will host the third Arab Cup. Following the recently finished FIFA U-17 World Cup, the Gulf nation hosts its second successive FIFA tournament.
The regional showpiece, which was used during the FIFA World Cup three years ago, was held at six different locations.
The tournament’s opening will take place at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, just as it did during Qatar 2022, while the magnificent Lusail Stadium will host the final.
The Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) will organize the 2025 Arab Cup, its second edition under FIFA’s purview, with previous editions planned for 2021.
The host cities and stadiums are listed below:
⚽ Lusail City: Lusail Stadium (capacity: 88, 966)
Al Rayyan: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium (capacity 45, 032)
⚽ Al Khor: Al Bayt Stadium (capacity: 68, 895)
⚽ Doha: Stadium 974 (capacity: 44, 089)
Education City Stadium (capacity: 44, 667):
Doha’s Khalifa International Stadium has capacity of 45 and 85.
How many teams are participating?
The tournament will feature 16 nations selected from the Confederations of African Football (CFF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Qatar and Algeria, the seven nations with the highest rankings in May, were the only ones who automatically qualified.
A number of single-leg qualification matches were held in Qatar this week to fill the remaining seven slots.
Following are the four groups that made up the participating countries:
Tunisia, Syria, Qatar, and Palestine are all in Group A.
Group B: Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the Comoros, Oman, and Group B:
Group C: Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates
Group D includes Algeria, Sudan, Iraq, Bahrain, and Group D includes Bahrain.
Palestine’s Arab Cup qualifying process:
In response to Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza, Palestine defeated Libya 4-3 on penalties on Tuesday to win the Arab Cup.
After 90 minutes, Palestine held their nerve in the penalty shootout to advance to the 16-team tournament in Doha.
Coach Ihab Abu Jazar stated to Al Kass TV, “This was the most difficult playoff game. “Libya are strong. We are proud of what we have accomplished and how little we haven’t. One of the few pastimes that Palestinians find joy is football.
We are unique from other teams, they say. We play for two purposes when we play football: to spread messages and to advance Palestinian football. Our team has gained a lot of attention in Asia and is on the verge of making it to the World Cup final.
He continued, “We play to send a message and bring joy to our people, not just trophys.”
What is the Arab Cup’s prize money?
In addition to the top international football tournaments in the world, the 2025 edition will feature a record prize money of more than $36.5 million.
The most recent competition, which took place in 2021, reported a $ 25.50 million prize pool.
What kind of tournaments are there?
The knockout stage, which includes the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final, will feature the top two teams in each group. A third-place playoff will also be held between the two semifinalists who each lost.
If a match ends at the end of the regular playing period, it will have 30 minutes of extra time and, if necessary, penalties.
Who were the champions in the past?
With four titles, Iraq are the Arab Cup’s most successful team. Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, and Algeria have all won once each, while Saudi Arabia is the second-most successful country with two titles.
Algeria are the defending champions after beating Tunisia in the 2021 final by extra points.
The Asian Football Confederation has won six titles historically, compared to the Confederation of African Football teams (four titles).
What makes the Arab Cup significant?
Fans will get a taste of what the best teams from the Arab Cup can expect from the world’s Arabs at the upcoming FIFA World Cup with the Arab Cup.
Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Algeria will also compete in the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will be held in Washington, Mexico, and Canada.
Baghdad Bounedjah, the Algerian striker, said, “The tournament plays an important role in showcasing Arab and Islamic culture to the world.” It’s a celebration of our shared fervor for the beautiful game on a global scale and an opportunity to showcase our shared passion for it.
The Arab Cup could serve as a launching pad for teams hoping to make a long run on football’s biggest stage with the addition of an expanded 48-team pool in the redesigned World Cup.
Who will win the lottery, odds are?
Up to five teams could be regarded as the title’s frontrunners based on their most recent performance in the 2026 World Cup qualifying phase.
Tunisia is second, winning nine of the ten matches to advance to the top of their group, while accumulating the most points (28 out of a possible 30) among all CAF countries during the World Cup qualifiers.
Algeria and Morocco, two of the country’s closest neighbors, are strong contenders for the World Cup after both finished in the top three of their groups. Egypt, the seven-time African champion, is also favored.
Jordan, who for the first time qualified for the World Cup, is the underdogs in the race for the title.
Who should you watch for the most players?
Ali Olwan, Jordan’s third-highest scorer in AFC World Cup qualifying with nine goals, will be interesting to watch at the tournament. Aymen Hussein, who had eight goals and was tied for second on the list of forwards expected to pose a serious threat, has him listed alongside him.
Aymen Dahmen, a reliable goalkeeper for Tunisia, should also be kept on a watch. In all 10 of their qualifying matches, his team went unbeaten without conceding.
Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al-Dawsari has been in good form lately, sitting joint-fourth among the top assist men in the Saudi Pro League, while forward Akram Afif, whose name has become synonymous with Qatar’s football success in the past ten years, is a key player for the host country.
Where can I purchase tournament tickets?
At the end of September, the official ticketing platform for the FIFA Arab Cup began offering tickets. Tickets for individual matches start at $7 and go up to three different pricing categories.
Additionally, there were the option of team-specific packs, which cost about $20 and included three group games for each nation. Those are currently unavailable, though.
The final’s tickets are sold out, starting at $14.
You can watch the entire tournament on beIN SPORTS PPV from December 1 through December 18 only in Arabic in the Middle East and North Africa.
Source: Aljazeera
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