Saturday 20 / April / 2024
FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021, Qatar has broken the record for the largest number of participating teams, which was achieved 23 years ago, specifically in the 7th edition, with the participation of 12 teams, for the first and only time so far in the history of the tournament. The largest number of participating teams was 11 in the eighth edition in 2002 hosted by Saudi Arabia, and 10 teams in 1966 in Iraq and 1988 in Jordan.
Doha is preparing to achieve a new record in the number of participating teams in the 10th edition of the FIFA Arab Cup, which is 16 teams, approved by FIFA.
During the last two days, most of the participating teams arrived in Doha in search of their first Arab Cup title, which is being held for the first time under the supervision of FIFA and as part of Qatar’s preparations to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, a year from now.
Before the finals, the preliminary round was played last June, during which six teams, Sudan, Oman, Mauritania, Lebanon, Palestine, and Bahrain were able to reserve their spots in the finals.
Jordan qualified directly without entering the qualifiers due to the infection of several South Sudanese players with the COVID-19 virus.
The seven teams joined the nine qualified automatically because of their position at the forefront of the Arab teams in the FIFA world rankings, which are: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, and Syria, in addition to the organizing country, Qatar.
The FIFA Arab Cup returns this year to the fore again after a nine-year hiatus, as the last version of the tournament was held in 2012 in Saudi Arabia, and the Moroccan team won the title after defeating its Libyan counterpart in the final match by penalty shootout (3-1), after the original and extra time tied (1-1) for the Moroccan team to win the first title in its history.
It is not strange for Qatar, which has hosted major sporting events in the world in all sports in recent years, to present an exemplary and distinguished Arab Cup, as Qatar possesses the most modern sports facilities in the world and the capabilities, making it a landmark for international sports.
The tournament will be an ideal rehearsal for organising the FIFA World Cup in Qatar a year from now, in light of the urgent need to try all the World Cup stadiums, as well as the great turnout that the FIFA Arab Cup will witness due to the presence of different and large Arab communities in Doha, in addition to the thousands of fans who will land in Qatar during the tournament period to support their teams and watch this unique event.
Given the proximity of the stadiums and the availability of transportation, the event will be an important and also good opportunity for fans to experience the idea of attending more than two matches on the same day to live a unique experience, an experience that fans from all over the world are waiting for the first time in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
