⚽ The 11th edition of the Arab Cup kicks off today — the second under the auspices of FIFA, alongside the 2021 season. Previously, the Arab Football Federation was responsible for organizing the tournaments, and the championship was not under FIFA’s umbrella. The competitions will be in full throttle through 18 December, with 16 nations participating — six from Africa and 10 from Asia. Qatar is hosting the Cup for the third time, making it the tournament’s most frequent host nation.

From the history books: The Arab Cup first launched in 1963 in Lebanon, and has seen Iraq lift the trophy four times, followed by Saudi Arabia twice, and once each for Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria. Three editions were held in the 1960s before a hiatus took effect until the mid 80s, with five more editions being played through the early noughties.

The tournament’s opening match sees Tunisia face Syria in Group A at 3pm, with the opening ceremony unconventionally taking place shortly after, at 4:30pm. The ceremony will be followed by a second match from the same group, with hosts Qatar locking horns with Palestine at 5:45pm.

Our participating nations:

  • Group A:
  • Qatar
  • Palestine
  • Syria
  • Tunisia
  • Group B:
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Morocco
  • Oman
  • Comoros
  • Group C:
  • Egypt
  • UAE
  • Kuwait
  • Jordan
  • Group D:
  • Iraq
  • Algeria
  • Bahrain
  • Sudan

Our homegrown B team will be competing under the tutelage of Helmy Toulan due to scheduling conflicts with Afcon, which will kick off on 21 December. Our primary team will compete with Hossam Hassan at the helm.

In round of 32 of the Egypt Cup:

  • Haras El Hodoud vs. Ismaily (5pm);
  • Tala’ea El Gaish vs. El Sekka Al Hadid (7:30pm).
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