FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025: What to know about the tournament

1 hour ago 3

The Arab world’s biggest shot contention kicks disconnected connected Monday, arsenic 16 teams from crossed the portion look disconnected successful Qatar.

Here’s everything you request to cognize astir the tournament, which occurs each 4 years:

What are the cardinal dates?

The FIFA Arab Cup 2025 volition statesman connected Monday, with Tunisia facing Syria successful the tourney opener.

The last volition beryllium played connected December 18, marking the decision of the 32-match tournament.

Group stage: December 1 to 9
Quarterfinals: December 11 and 12
Semifinals: December 15
Third-place playoff: December 18
Final: December 18

Where is the tourney being held?

Qatar is staging the Arab Cup for the 3rd time; it hosted the 1998 and 2021 tournaments. It is besides the 2nd successive FIFA tourney hosted by the Gulf federation aft the precocious concluded FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Six venues person been chosen to big the determination showpiece, each of which was utilized during the FIFA World Cup 3 years ago.

As was the lawsuit during Qatar 2022, Al Bayt Stadium, successful the bluish metropolis of Al Khor, volition big the tourney opener, portion the magnificent Lusail Stadium volition big the final.

The 2025 Arab Cup volition beryllium the 2nd variation nether FIFA’s jurisdiction, with editions earlier 2021 organised by the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA).

Here are the big cities and stadiums:

⚽ 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: Education City Stadium (capacity: 44,667)
⚽ Doha: Khalifa International Stadium (capacity: 45,857)

How galore teams are taking part?

Sixteen nations, drawn from some the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), volition play successful the tournament.

Hosts Qatar and defending champions Algeria, on with the 7 highest-ranked nations astatine the clip of the gully successful May, each qualified automatically.

The remaining 7 slots were filled done a bid of single-leg qualification matches held successful Qatar this week.

The participating nations person been divided into 4 groups, arsenic follows:

⚽ Group A: Tunisia, Syria, Qatar, Palestine

⚽ Group B: Morocco, Comoros, Saudi Arabia, Oman

⚽ Group C: Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, United Arab Emirates

⚽ Group D: Algeria, Sudan, Iraq, Bahrain

How did Palestine suffice for Arab Cup?

Palestine edged Libya 4-3 connected penalties connected Tuesday to unafraid their spot successful the Arab Cup, bringing joyousness to Palestinians successful the aftermath of Israel’s warfare connected Gaza.

The playoff successful Doha ended 0-0 aft 90 minutes earlier Palestine held their nervus successful the shootout to scope the 16-team tournament.

“This was the toughest playoff match,” manager Ihab Abu Jazar told Al Kass TV. “Libya are strong. Our circumstances and absences made it harder, but we are proud. Football is 1 of the fewer things that tin bring happiness to Palestinians.

“We are antithetic from different teams. They play to compete, but we play for 2 goals: to nonstop messages done shot and to make Palestinian football. Our squad has go a large sanction successful Asia and was adjacent to reaching the World Cup playoff.

“We play for much than trophies – we play to nonstop a connection and bring joyousness to our people,” helium added.

Ahmed Saleh and Dabbagh Oday successful action.

What is the prize wealth for the Arab Cup?

The 2025 variation volition person a grounds prize wealth of much than $36.5m, joining the ranks of the world’s large planetary shot tournaments.

The past competition, successful 2021, had a reported prize purse of $25.5m.

What is the tourney format?

The apical 2 teams successful each radical volition suffice for the knockout stage, which features the quarterfinals, semifinals and the final. There is besides a third-place playoff betwixt the 2 losing semifinalists.

In the knockout stages, if a lucifer is level astatine the extremity of mean playing time, it volition spell to 30 minutes of other clip and, if required, penalties.

Who are the erstwhile champions?

Iraq are the astir palmy squad successful the Arab Cup with 4 titles. Saudi Arabia are the second-most palmy federation with 2 titles, portion Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria person each won erstwhile each.

Algeria are the defending champions, having beaten Tunisia 2-0 successful other clip astatine the 2021 final.

Historically, nations from the Asian Football Confederation (six titles) person won much than the Confederation of African Football teams (four titles).

Algeria goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi holds up the victor trophy aft received it from Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, 2nd right, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino extremity of the Arab Cup last shot lucifer betwixt Tunisia and Algeria astatine the Al Bayt stadium successful Al Khor, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. Algeria won 2-0. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Why is the Arab Cup important?

Featuring immoderate of the strongest teams, the Arab Cup volition springiness fans a sensation of what to expect from Arab nations astatine adjacent year’s FIFA World Cup.

Seven Arab Cup participants – Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Algeria – volition besides vie astatine the FIFA World Cup 2026, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

“The tourney plays an important relation successful showcasing Arab and Islamic civilization to the world,” Algeria striker Baghdad Bounedjah said. “It’s a solemnisation of our individuality and an accidental to showcase our shared passionateness for the beauteous crippled connected specified a planetary scale.”

With the revamped World Cup acceptable to diagnostic an expanded 48-team pool, the Arab Cup could beryllium a proving crushed for teams aiming to marque a heavy tally connected football’s biggest stage.

Who are the favourites to win?

Based connected their caller show successful the 2026 World Cup qualification phase, arsenic galore arsenic 5 teams could beryllium considered frontrunners for the title.

Up determination is Tunisia, who gathered the astir points (28 from a imaginable 30) among each CAF nations during the World Cup qualifiers, winning 9 of the 10 matches to decorativeness apical of their group.

Fellow North African neighbours Algeria and Morocco are beardown contenders aft some qualified for the World Cup by finishing apical of their groups. Record seven-time African champions Egypt are besides among the favourites.

Jordan, who qualified for the World Cup for the first time, are an underdog prime to triumph it all.

Who are the apical players to watch?

Jordan’s Ali Olwan, the third-highest scorer successful the AFC World Cup qualifying with 9 goals, volition beryllium 1 to ticker successful the tournament. Joining him connected the database of forwards expected to airs a superior menace is Iraq’s Aymen Hussein, who was tied for fourth-highest goals, with eight.

Fans should besides support an oculus connected Tunisia’s reliable goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen, who kept six cleanable sheets arsenic his broadside went unbeaten without conceding successful each 10 of their qualifying fixtures.

Forward Akram Afif, whose sanction has go synonymous with Qatar’s footballing occurrence successful the past decade, is simply a cardinal subordinate for the big nation, portion Saudi Arabia skipper Salem Al-Dawsari has been successful decent signifier of late, sitting joint-fourth successful the Saudi Pro League’s apical assistance men.

Qatar's Akram Afif celebrates scoring a goal.

Where to bargain tickets and ticker the tournament?

Tickets for the FIFA Arab Cup went connected merchantability connected the official ticketing platform astatine the extremity of September. Fans tin bargain tickets for idiosyncratic matches crossed 3 pricing categories, starting astatine $7.

The tourney besides had an enactment of team-specific packs, which offered 3 radical games of each nation, starting astatine astir $20. However, those are present unavailable.

Tickets for the final, starting astatine $14, person sold out.

In the Middle East and North Africa, you tin ticker the full tourney from December 1 done December 18, exclusively successful Arabic and lone connected beIN SPORTS PPV.