What is the FIFA Arab Cup?
1? Where will it be held? Who are the favorites?
2? This guide answers everything you need to know about the FIFA Arab Cup 2022 in Qatar,
3? which will be one of the biggest sporting events on earth, potentially with millions of spectators in attendance and millions more tuning into broadcasts around the world.
4? If you’re planning on going to Qatar in 2022 to watch the event live or follow it from home, this guide has everything you need to know about buying tickets and arranging your trip.
5? The History
The first two Arab Cups were hosted by Lebanon and Syria.
6? The next four were hosted by Egypt, with Kuwait hosting it for the first time in 1985.
7? It wasn’t until 1988 that Qatar became the eighth country to host it.
8? Their hosting of the tournament marked a significant turning point for football in Middle Eastern countries as they claimed their first title, beating Saudi Arabia 3-1.
10? They won again in 1996, 1998 and 2000 before withdrawing from hosting duties following the 2002 event.
11? Iraq was then awarded the rights to host it for 2004 but pulled out following unrest between Iraq and other nations surrounding its invasion of Kuwait, which led to an Iraqi defeat during Operation Desert Storm.
12? Following a 12-year hiatus, Qatar hosted the 2016 edition and will be staging this year’s competition.
13? The final tournament will consist of 16 teams – up from just eight in recent editions – and be staged at five different stadiums. A decision on who gets to host the 2022 competition is expected soon, with UAE, Libya and Morocco all hoping for a chance to claim it.
14? According to Mohammed al Murr, president of the Jordanian Football Association, We have been informed by Fifa that they are studying us.
15? We have also submitted our request through our Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and we are waiting for Fifa’s reply.
16? Other than being one of the few cities in the world to host both summer and winter Olympic Games, Petra is a popular tourist destination known for its rock carvings and ancient architecture.
17? Although few outsiders associate Jordan with football, it has a growing domestic league that currently features 24 teams playing against each other three times per season across 13 leagues in cities like Amman, Irbid and Zarqa.
18? We believe we deserve a chance to host the tournament, especially given how well we performed in qualifying, said Murr.
19? Jordanians love football so much that when there’s not any international games people organise matches.
20? If Jordan get their way, the second round of qualifying for Euro 2020 would take place there instead of France and Albania.
21? It would be a huge boost for Jordanian football if Fifa made this happen, added Murr.
22? It would give hope to players, coaches and officials that they could aspire to play on the international stage.
23? Football is the number one sport in Jordan with more than 1 million players taking part.
25? Even school children take part in tournaments across 10 categories.
25? Jordanian star Mahmoud Amer played football for his country and now trains youngsters on free Saturdays as a volunteer coach with Al Quds SC, named after Jerusalem because of support shown to Palestinians over many years by Jordan’s king Abdullah II – Israel’s only Arab neighbour.
26? In February last year Amer travelled back to Baghdad where he had once lived after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait – something Amer never forgets because his family had left amid fears of air raids and homesickness – finding reconciliation difficult.
27? I’m a Muslim, and I know that the Quran says that we should be kind to others. And yet, as I’ve grown older, I have found it hard to do, Amer told Reuters.
28? Somehow I always feel that Iraqis are a little bit suspicious of me. Iraq went on to win the tournament, defeating Jordan 2-0 in the final.
29? Lebanon and Syria hosted the next two Arab Cups, with Kuwait becoming the first country outside of these three to host it in 1985.
30? Egypt hosted the tournament for six consecutive seasons from 1988 to 1997.
31? The following four editions were hosted by Qatar, with Iraq winning its first title after Qatar withdrew from hosting duties following the 2002 event.
32? It took a 12-year hiatus for Qatar to host it again, but they will be doing so this year and are set to host it again in 2021.
33? An interesting aspect of hosting is that some of the venues are still used for other purposes. For example, Khalifa International Stadium is used as a cricket ground. In this case, the grass would have The to be laid down temporarily on top of what’s already there and it would have to be removed afterwards.
34? This creates an additional cost, and it also means that the surface isn’t at its best for the duration of the tournament.
35? Khalifa International Stadium, which has a capacity of 60,000 spectators, was built in 1976 and renovated in 2007 to include a retractable roof.
36? Qatar is reportedly considering replacing it with a brand new stadium with a capacity of 80,000. Because Qataris don’t consume alcohol (although foreigners can buy alcohol at hotels), that poses another question for organisers: what about bars?
37? Some competitions provide opportunities for spectators to buy drinks and snacks during the game, but this doesn’t seem because alcohol can’t be sold on public particular 100 metres ossible in Doha because alcohol can’t be sold on public property or within 100 metres of a mosque.
38? The lack of facilities for spectators could be problematic given how hot the country is.
39? With temperatures often rising above 40 degrees Celsius, fans may not want to leave the shade of their cars or tents just to get food. One suggestion is that food trucks offer such services at special areas away from the stadiums themselves.
40?In order to avoid bottlenecks on highways when people leave games, organizers have put out suggestions like staggering finishing times and providing parking areas close to exits.
41? Qatar should benefit from its experience hosting previous cups too; in 2013, Fifa decided that ties must end within 15 minutes if no goal was scored instead of going into extra time, a change that resulted in fewer shootouts – something organizers wanted because penalty shootouts take longer than extra time and make things more complicated for players
42? The Teams
The sixteen teams that qualified for the tournament are:
Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Lebanon, Yemen, Libya, Djibouti Republic, Mauritania-Mauritius (MaM), Somalia-Ethiopia (SoE), Palestine-Jordan (PJ), Comoros Islands-Seychelles Islands-Rwanda (CSR) and Chad.
They will be divided into four groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group will advance to a 16 team knockout round.
43? The final match is scheduled for 10 July 2022 at Al Gharafa Stadium in Doha. The official draw took place on Saturday 11 November 2018.
44? Here is a list of all 16 qualified nations and their respective pots:
Group A – Group of death?
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Lebanon and Yemen.
45? Group B – Africa’s pride?
Morocco, Algeria, Congo DR & Mali
Group C – Asia’s hope?
Iran, Japan, Australia & Bahrain
Group D – The favorites? (vying for three spots?) Egypt.
46? Tunisia, Senegal and Ivory . These countries were automatically seeded according to FIFA’s World Ranking.
47? Morocco was placed in Group A with host country Qatar, who have been drawn alongside defending champions UAE, Lebanon and Yemen.
48? The United States of America are one of the six seeded countries which means they avoid having to play any games outside of the first round.
49?Unfortunately this means they’ll also avoid meeting England or Spain until the semifinals at least! The lowest ranked teams – so those below #119 in world rankings – include Djibouti Republic, Mauritania-Mauritius (MaM), Somalia-Ethiopia (SoE), Palestine-Jordan (PJ) and Chad.
Group A sees host nation Qatar face off against 2014 runners up UAE as well as Morocco and Syria while Group B features Algeria as well as fellow African giants Cameroon, Guinea and Ghana while Group C contains Asian giants Iran as well as Japan, Australia and Bahrain while in Group D you’ll find holders Egypt who take on Tunisia plus 2010 finalists Nigeria and Senegal.
50? All in all it promises to be an exciting spectacle. So far there have been over 20 000 tickets sold – 7 times more than the previous championship in 2017.
51? Though at $100-$400 a ticket, these matches may not be accessible for many people.
52? There has also been some controversy about using natural grass fields given Qatar’s heat conditions.
53? Nonetheless most attendees should be looking forward to cheering on their home country come 2022 when we’ll see how this new generation of players performs on the international stage.
54? Who knows, maybe the next Messi will emerge.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino was in attendance at the launch and had this to say, I am sure the hosts and all our participants will live together in peace and harmony.
55? We can only hope he’s right.
The inaugural edition of the Arab Nations’ Cup took place in 1962 but faced numerous organizational including the lack of basic infrastructure such as hotel accommodations and poor pitches.
56? Some of the biggest stars to ever compete at the Arab Cup are Youssef Msakni (who plays for Tunisia), Abdoulaye Doucouré (who plays for France), Karim El Ahmadi (who plays for Morocco), Ahmed El Mohamady (Egyptian-born Emirati football player) and Emad Meteb (Libyan footballer).
57? The competition, once cancelled due to the Gulf War in 1990, will be hosted by Qatar for the third time after hosting in 1996 and again in 2007.
58? But as always, Qatar’s event comes under fire with human rights violations and migrant worker abuses in building stadiums leading to a boycott from Amnesty International.
59? This year’s draw saw no less than 22 broadcast partners signed on. This will be the first Arab Nations Cup in the Middle East since 1970.
60? Countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE have invested heavily to host this event and are currently working on securing sponsorships.
61? Host country Qatar is trying to appeal to the younger audience through a partnership with YouTube Red while they also hope to keep soccer-crazy families entertained with free transport, free entrance into public areas as well as a free shuttle service between venue sites.
62? The country’s culture minister said they plan to create a family-friendly at all match venues, but it remains to be seen if this will truly make them welcoming for women.
63? The Venues
The 2022 World Cup will be hosted by Qatar, marking the second time it has taken place in the Middle East.
64?The tournament will take place from 21 November to 18 December, with the final being held at Lusail Stadium.
65? In total, eight stadiums have been built for this purpose. Four of them are located within an hour of Doha and one is on offshore islands called Ras Abu Aboud just off Doha’s coast.
66? The other three are in Doha itself (two are brand new), with Khalifa International Stadium as a central hub for all matches during the tournament.
67? As we’re sure you know, it was here that Portugal faced off against Spain in the 2010 final.
68? For the tournament four years later, there were many logistical improvements made.
69? There were two extra turf pitches put in and temporary seating areas increased to 12 from six.
70? There were also seven new hotels opened specifically for the event. All-in-all, 350,000 visitors are expected to visit Qatar for the competition.
71? If you want to make sure your accommodation goes without a hitch, you can book through the official website which is currently offering packages.
72? With less than four years left until the tournament kicks off, let’s hope everything goes well! FIFA president Gianni Infantino said it was our desire to bring the world together in celebration of football.
73? The 2022 tournament will mark Qatar’s first ever bid for a major sporting event, but given its success so far we expect no issues.
74? Let’s hope they stay true to their word – who doesn’t love football?
75? Given what we saw in Brazil two years ago, it won’t be a major issue if anything were to go wrong.
76? We’re sure that everything will run smoothly and 2022 will see a fantastic event.
77?The country has also been building its infrastructure over recent years so as to ready itself for hosting such an international tournament.
78? Many consider it as a turning point for Qatar, although some critics argue that it could be used as a way of promoting greater acceptance and tolerance of homosexuality, since homosexuality is illegal in most Middle Eastern countries including Qatar.
79? However, let’s hope nothing of the sort happens! The 2022 Arab Cup will represent a change for the region and show that it’s possible to host large events in places where others might not think feasible.
80? The Schedule
The first round of competition will be played from November 21-December 18, 2020.
81? The teams that advance will then compete in a second round of matches from December 19-January 11, 2021.
82? The top four teams at this stage will advance to the semifinals which are scheduled for January 12-January 25.
83? The final will take place on February 10 and is open to 60,000 spectators.
84? All games will take place at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.
85? Each team can register a squad of 23 players with three substitutions allowed during the match.
86? There are 16 competing nations: Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya (Libya), Morocco (Morocco), Oman (Oman), Palestine (Palestine), Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia), Sudan (Sudan), Tunisia (Tunisia) and Yemen.
87? It is worth noting that there have been sanctions against Syria for not cooperating with the investigation into an alleged international conspiracy to fix soccer matches back in 2010.
88? As such, Syria won’t be able to compete in this tournament. On the other hand, there has been recent turmoil in Bahrain leading to its national team being banned as well.
89? If a nation qualifies but isn’t able to field a side because of player bans or instability it will get another chance in 2022 as long as they still meet eligibility criteria.
90? Other details about the tournament include: if a game ends in a draw after 90 minutes, 30 minutes of extra time will follow before penalties may ensue; if two teams who met previously both win their semi-final ties than one country will have home advantage for both legs.
91? A coin toss will determine which country gets the right. Furthermore, the first round’s schedule was released on March 27th 2019, with Qatar playing its opening game against Egypt on November 22nd 2020 at 8pm local time.
92? The only problem? By the end of 2020 Ramadan will already be happening! With fasting occurring from sunrise to sunset, Muslim players would either have to play outside those hours or take an exemption certificate signed by a doctor attesting that he needs food and water in order to survive!
94? Qatar Football Association President Hani Abul Mohsen Al Khater responded with we understand that and we know it very well, promising more information soon.
94? In the meantime, his message to athletes and footballers in Qatar is clear: I encourage you all to carry on your normal training and work, without any alteration in terms of your routine.
95? This is a challenge for us, but the principle of equality among human beings and among religions should be respected.
96?We will do our utmost to find solutions that allow everyone to take part in this event.
97? That is what sports means: to build bridges between cultures and different people in a spirit of friendship and mutual understanding.
98? In the words of the French philosopher Voltaire, I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
99? To promote the Arab Cup in Qatar, The State of Qatar Tourism Authority is starting an innovative campaign entitled Soccer Takes You Everywhere.
100? The idea behind this campaign is that anything and everything is possible with the sport of football.
101? As a way to show this, actors will portray historical figures from past generations who used football to change the world for the better.
102? To begin with, there will be an educational video about Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I where fans can take a quiz on their knowledge of Ethiopian history and culture! They will also release short films about the life of Brazilian footballer Pelé and Japanese-American baseball player Tetsuharu Kawakami.
103? But that’s just the beginning! The campaign is scheduled to continue until December 2020, with new installments appearing every month! Be on the lookout for future posts on the Arab Cup in Qatar, including topics like ticketing, accommodations, safety, and regulations.
104? If you want to follow updates about the Arab Cup 2022 Qatar, sign up for email updates from my blog and subscribe to my RSS feed!
105? What Happened In Cups?
The first ever FIFA tournament was held in Saudi Arabia, back in 1996.
106? Eighteen years later, the next World Cup will take place in 2022, with a few changes of course.
107? The most notable change is that Qatar will be hosting it instead of Saudi Arabia or any other country from the Middle East or North Africa.
108? This is due to reports stating how people from these areas suffer from health issues due to high temperatures and lack of air conditioning during summer months.
109? With this information in mind, Fifa has made an effort to protect the athletes by holding this competition elsewhere.
110? Qatar may not have much experience hosting such an event, but they have hosted major events before including the 2006 Asian Games, 2010 Asian Games and 2017 Asia Indoor Athletics Championships.
111? They also have had plenty of time to prepare for their big day as the bid for this championship was submitted way back in 2009.
112? In preparation for the games, there have been many infrastructure projects completed in anticipation.
113? These include new stadiums and indoor arenas, roadways and public transport systems.
114? In terms of security, there is no need to worry about safety.
115? Qatar’s government are confident that they can handle any potential terror threats thanks to strict airport controls and surveillance methods used by authorities already in place.
116? However, in order to make sure all bases are covered, law enforcement agencies like INTERPOL have teamed up with Qatar officials and they’re developing a comprehensive strategy against terrorism.
117? It’s important to note that Qatar has taken precautions by using five-star hotels which offer world-class service as accommodation for players.
118? The opening ceremony is set to be one of the most spectacular ever seen in sporting history! It will feature art installations created by Zaha Hadid Architects (the masterminds behind Dubai 2020), special music composed by Jean-Michel Jarre and fireworks displays performed on water surfaces.
119? All eyes will certainly be on Qatar come 2022!
If you want more information regarding ticket sales, travelling arrangements and hotel accommodation then look no further than here! We’ve outlined all you need to know about logistics so that you can plan your trip from beginning to end as best as possible. I’ve got some great tips for you below…’ ‘When should I book my flight?’ – If you’re planning to travel over to Qatar for the cup, booking flights now is always a good idea. Even if it’s two years out, start looking into pricing now! Booking too late could lead to delays or even being denied boarding due to overbooking. ‘What should I pack?’ – Think about what sort of weather conditions you’ll encounter when you arrive in Qatar: warm days and cool nights, dry heat during the day and dry cool nights? Keep this in mind when packing clothes as they’ll vary depending on where you are at certain points in the day.
120? ‘How do I get around?’ – Getting around whilst visiting Qatar will be easy with taxis waiting outside airports and bus stops right near every stadium site.
121? Plus, Qatar’s public transport system is the third largest in the region and there are six different modes of transportation available. If you’re in town for a week or longer, an electronic transit card will help you save money and easily hop from one mode of transportation to another.
122? Itinerary suggestions – If you’re going to be in Qatar for a long period of time then we recommend checking out the cultural heritage sites located around Doha.
123? The Museum of Islamic Art and Souq Waqif are both worth exploring!
123? How To Get Tickets?
Tickets are sold through the official website, but they can be tricky to purchase. Tickets will be on sale until December 15th, so there is still time.
124? However, it can take time for your transaction to go through and you may end up missing out on tickets if you’re not careful.
124? In order to ensure that you get your tickets without any problems, make sure that you have a valid credit card and address within Qatar where they can send your tickets.
125? If you don’t have either of those things, then it’s best to wait a little longer before buying your ticket just in case something goes wrong.
126? It’s also important to note that the majority of games will be held at Lusail Sports Arena, which seats 60,000 people.
127? So far only 5-6 games are being played elsewhere with one outside stadium being Al Rayyan Stadium (which seats 25,000).
128? And while Lusail is easy to find and book accommodations near, there are some other stadiums that you should know about. For example, Al Wakrah Stadium is relatively close by but not as close as Lusail.
129? The other stadiums will be much further away from major cities like Doha or Dubai which means it might be easier to book flights rather than rent cars to reach them – unless you want to spend over an hour each way driving! But if we’ve learned anything from the last World Cup in Russia it’s that this might be a problem down the line as well.
130? In general, expect accommodations near these stadiums to sell out quickly! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to save money and book now.
131? All hotels near these stadiums cost around $50-$100 USD per night with some rising up to $250+ USD per night for more luxurious hotels.
132? There are cheaper options, but this is a tournament that lasts three weeks so spending more money upfront could save you in the long run because many hotels offer special deals when booking multiple nights instead of just one night.
133? Finally, it’s important to note that all players must obtain a Visa before entering Qatar even if they’re from another country besides Saudi Arabia or Iran.
134? Whether you’re staying inside the city or in a nearby city, check to see what type of Visa you’ll need beforehand.
145? The process can take a few weeks so plan accordingly.
136? We recommend getting it done as soon as possible because sometimes the issuing office runs out and has to stop accepting applications for visas ahead of time – which means no chance for competitors from any countries other than Saudi Arabia or Iran who haven’t yet obtained their visa.
137? Again, it’s always worth checking beforehand and researching the requirements for your country so that you don’t miss out on an opportunity to participate due to unforeseen circumstances like this.
138? One other thing that you should be aware of are the travel warnings.
139? Every region in the world has different laws and regulations, and it’s very important to stay informed so that you don’t end up breaking a law unknowingly.
140? Currently, the State Department does not warn against visiting Qatar as a tourist for business purposes, but do keep in mind that there are certain laws for foreigners that visitors to Qatar need to follow.
141? Some examples of these include respecting Islam and Sharia Law. It’s also worth noting that homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, so LGBT travelers need to be aware of this before traveling there as they would be considered criminals under local law and subject to punishments such as fines and imprisonment.