BEVERLY HILLS, April 28, (THEWILL) – On Tuesday, at the Katara Opera House in Doha, the draw for the FIFA-organised Arab Cup to be hosted in Qatar this year was conducted, and based on their FIFA ranking, the nine top teams, including host country Qatar, will be joined in the final tournament by the seven winners from the qualifying stages.
The President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, who joined a host of dignitaries for the draw, was also in the company of Shaikh Ibrahim bin Salman his counterpart at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA President, Gianni Infantino.
Motsepe was at the draw at the instance of a number of African teams that are scheduled to participate in the competition. The President was supporting teams from Algeria, Egypt, Somalia, Tunisia, Mauritania, Morocco, South Sudan, Comoros, Djibouti, Libya and Sudan.
In total, the 16 teams involved were drawn into four groups of four, as follows:
Group A: Qatar, Iraq, Oman or Somalia & Bahrain or Kuwait
Group B: Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Syria & Mauritania or Yemen
Group C: Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan or South Sudan & Palestine or Comoros
Group D: Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon or Djibouti & Libya or Sudan
According to the format of the tournament, winners and runners-up from each group will proceed to the knockout stages of the quarter-finals, semi-finals, third-place play-off and final. The matches will take place at six Qatar 2022 stadiums, although specific venues have not yet been determined.
When the tournament commences later this year, it will offer a vital opportunity to test operations and facilities in place in Qatar exactly a year before the Middle Eastern country is set to host the first World Cup in the Middle East and Arab world.
His Excellency Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, President of the Qatar Football Association, spoke about the tournament: “Qatar is very excited to host the FIFA Arab Cup later this year. National teams from across the region will have the opportunity to participate in a high-profile tournament which is sure to capture the attention of fans everywhere.
“This is also an important step for the national team’s development and the entire country as we fine-tune preparations for the FIFA World Cup in 2022.”
The Arab Cup presents an opportunity for some of the best teams on the continent to demonstrate their potentials while getting in shape for the competitions ahead. In the latest Coca-Cola FIFA Rankings, Tunisia is ranked second in Africa after Senegal, while Algeria, Morocco and Egypt are fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
