Qatar will warmly welcome the Arab world for a thrilling football tournament – the likes of which has never been seen before. All of your favorite Arab stars and six of our FIFA World Cup 2022™ stadiums will be on show. Mark the date to raise your flags and join us!

Twenty-three national teams from across the Arab world have been invited to take part in the competition:
• 12 teams from the Asian Football Confederation:
Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen
• 11 teams from the Confederation of African Football:
Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Tunisia.

Matches will take place at six Qatar 2022 tournament venues, some of which have hosted top-level football in recent months, while others are in the final stages of construction.

Group A: Qatar, Iraq, Winner of Oman vs Somalia, Winner of Bahrain vs Kuwait

Group B: Tunisia, UAE, Syria, Winner of Mauritania vs Yemen

Group C: Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Winner of Jordan vs South Sudan, Winner of Palestine vs Comoros

Group D: Algeria, Egypt, Winner of Lebanon vs Djibouti, Winner of Libya vs Sudan

Here’s how it works

The competition will begin with pre-tournament qualification: 14 teams will be drawn into seven single play-off matches. The winners of the play-off matches go through to join the nine seeded teams in the group stage: that’s 16 teams drawn into four groups of four teams.

The nine seeded teams were determined by the FIFA World Rankings (as of April 2021):
Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the UAE and Syria.

The group stage and knockout phase will consist of 32 matches. It promises to be a warm coming together of Arab fans at a festival of football that will go down in history. We hope you’ll add your voice to the many chanting in the stadiums and watching across the region.

COVID-19 

The health and safety of fans, players and officials is our top priority. As was the case at the FIFA Club World Cup 2020™, comprehensive procedures will be in place to ensure everybody is protected and free to enjoy the tournament with peace of mind.

FIFA Arab Cup 2021 | Official Draw

The draw for the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021™ was conducted at Katara Opera House in Doha tonight.

The nine highest-ranked teams, including host country Qatar, will join the seven winners from the qualifying stage in the final tournament. The 16 teams have been 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

The four group winners and four group runners-up will proceed to the knockout stage: quarter-finals, semi-finals, third-place play-off and final. The matches will take place at six Qatar 2022 stadiums, with the venues set to be confirmed in due course.

The tournament will take place later this year – during a similar timeslot to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. It is seen as a vital opportunity to test operations and facilities exactly a year before Qatar hosts the first World Cup in the Middle East and Arab world.

H.E. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, President, Qatar Football Association, said: “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.”

H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, said: “This tournament will see elite teams from across the Arab world compete in a FIFA-sanctioned tournament for the first time.

“A tournament of this magnitude – played exactly a year before the World Cup – is sure to excite our football crazy region as we continue preparations for 2022. We look forward to hosting the FIFA Arab Cup and using the tournament to confirm our plans for the World Cup, which is just around the corner.”

Nasser Al Khater, CEO, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC, said: “Following the successful hosting of the FIFA Club World Cup in 2019 and 2021, the FIFA Arab Cup provides Qatar with yet another opportunity to test our plans and preparations ahead of the FIFA World Cup. Fans, players and officials will have the opportunity to use World Cup infrastructure, including stadiums, training sites and other facilities. We greatly look forward to hosting national teams from across the Arab world as we build up to the biggest sporting event in our region’s history in 2022.”

Ahead of the main draw, FIFA confirmed the pairings for the qualifying matches. The 14 lowest-ranked teams will take part in single-leg matches, with the ties decided based on the April edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings:

Oman (FIFA world ranking: 80) vs Somalia (197)
Lebanon (93) vs Djibouti (183)
Jordan (95) vs South Sudan (169)
Bahrain (99) vs Kuwait (148)
Mauritania (101) vs Yemen (145)
Palestine (104) vs Comoros (131)
Libya (119) vs Sudan (123)