2021 FIFA Arab Cup

The 2021 FIFA Arab Cup[1] (Arabic: كأس العرب 2021‎) is the ongoing 10th edition of the Arab world's[note 1] national team football tournament;[2][3] it is the first edition under FIFA's jurisdiction.[4] It is taking place between 30 November and 18 December in Qatar, as a prelude to the 2022 FIFA World Cup which will also be held in Qatar.[3]

2021 FIFA Arab Cup
كأس العرب 2021
Kaʾs al-ʿārab 2021
Tournament details
Host countryQatar
Dates30 November – 18 December
Teams16 (from 2 confederations)
Venue(s)6 (in 4 host cities)
Tournament statistics
Matches played30
Goals scored81 (2.7 per match)
Attendance480,171 (16,006 per match)
Top scorer(s) Seifeddine Jaziri
(4 goals)

The tournament phase involves 16 teams, of which seven came through the qualifying round; all 23 teams competing are under the auspices of either the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) or the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The 32 finals matches are played in six venues, which will also be used for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[5]

Semi-automated offside technology is being tested for the first time in this tournament.[6]

Teams
  Teams qualified for Arab Cup without qualifying round
  Teams qualified for Arab Cup after qualifying round
  Teams failed to qualify for Arab Cup after qualifying round
  Countries were not UAFA members

Of the 23 participating teams,[7] the top nine teams based on the April 2021 FIFA ranking directly qualified to the group stage, while the remaining 14 teams played seven single-leg matches, with seven teams going through to the group stage.[8] In the group stage, there are four groups of four teams in a round-robin format, with the top two teams from each group qualifying to the knockout stage,[1] which will consist of quarter-finals, semi-finals, a play-off for third place, and the final.[9]

The 14 teams in the qualifiers were paired based on their April 2021 FIFA ranking:[9] the highest-ranked team in the qualifiers, Oman, played against the lowest-ranked team, Somalia.[10] Lebanon, the second-highest ranked team, played against Djibouti, the second-lowest ranked team, and so on.[10] The teams that won qualification matches 1, 2 and 3 occupied positions 2, 3 and 4 in pot 3, and the remaining teams were placed in pot 4 in order.[9]

South Sudan forfeited their qualifying match due to the high number of COVID-19 cases among the South Sudan delegation.[11] The Algerian FA decided in July 2020 to send the Algeria A' (local team),[12][13][14] however, their final squad included players from other Arab leagues to strengthen the team.[15] The Moroccan FA also decided to send the Morocco A' (local team),[16][17] however, they also later strengthened the team with players from other Arab leagues.

Note: Numbers in parentheses indicate positions in the FIFA World Rankings at the time of the draw.[18]

From the April 2021 FIFA World Rankings[18]
Bye to the group stage
(Ranked 1st to 9th)		 Competing in the qualifiers
(Ranked 10th to 23rd)
  1.  Qatar (58) (hosts)
  2.  Tunisia (26)
  3.  Algeria (33)
  4.  Morocco (34)
  5.  Egypt (46)
  6.  Saudi Arabia (65)
  7.  Iraq (68)
  8.  United Arab Emirates (73)
  9.  Syria (79)
  1.  Oman (80)
  2.  Lebanon (93)
  3.  Jordan (95)
  4.  Bahrain (99)
  5.  Mauritania (101)
  6.  Palestine (104)
  7.  Libya (116)
  8.  Sudan (124)
  9.  Comoros (132)
  10.  Yemen (145)
  11.  Kuwait (148)
  12.  South Sudan (167)
  13.  Djibouti (192)
  14.  Somalia (195)

Draw

The group stage draw took place on 27 April 2021 at 21:00 AST at the Katara Opera House in Doha.[7][10] It was conducted by Manolo Zubiria, FIFA's director of competitions, and four former players: Wael Gomaa (Egypt), Nawaf Al-Temyat (Saudi Arabia), Haitham Mustafa (Sudan) and Younis Mahmoud (Iraq).[19]

The sixteen teams were drawn into four groups of four teams. The draw started with pot 1 and completed with pot 4, from where a team was drawn and assigned to the first available group in the position of their pot (i.e. position 1 for pot 1). The hosts Qatar were automatically seeded into pot 1 and assigned to position A1, while the remaining automatically qualified teams were seeded into their respective pots based on the FIFA World Rankings of April 2021 (shown in parentheses below). Syria, the lowest-ranked team that automatically qualified, were joined in pot 3 by the winners of qualification matches 1 to 3, while pot 4 contained the winners of qualification matches 4 to 7. Algeria, as the winners of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, were assigned to position D1.[9]

Pot 1
Team Rank
 Qatar 58
 Tunisia 26
 Algeria 33
 Morocco 34
Pot 2
Team Rank
 Egypt 46
 Saudi Arabia 65
 Iraq 68
 United Arab Emirates 73
Pot 3
Team Rank
 Syria 79
Prelim winner 1[lower-alpha 1] N/A
Prelim winner 2[lower-alpha 2]
Prelim winner 3[lower-alpha 3]
Pot 4
Team Rank
Prelim winner 4[lower-alpha 4] N/A
Prelim winner 5[lower-alpha 5]
Prelim winner 6[lower-alpha 6]
Prelim winner 7[lower-alpha 7]
  1. Oman won the encounter.
  2. Lebanon won the encounter.
  3. Jordan won the encounter.
  4. Bahrain won the encounter.
  5. Mauritania won the encounter.
  6. Palestine won the encounter.
  7. Sudan won the encounter.

Squads
Main article: 2021 FIFA Arab Cup squads

Only 15 players playing in non-Arab leagues were selected in the final 23-man squads: four in Sweden; two in England; one each in Denmark, Greece, Indonesia, Malaysia, Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Thailand and the United States.

Match officials

A total of 12 refereeing trios (a referee and two assistant referees) and 16 video assistant referees were appointed for the tournament.[20]

Confederation Referee Assistant referees Video assistant referees
AFC Alireza Faghani (Iran) Mohammadreza Mansouri (Iran)
Mohammadreza Abolfazli (Iran)		 Shaun Evans (Australia)
Abdulla Al Marri (Qatar)
Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)
Ryuji Sato (Japan) Hiroshi Yamauchi (Japan)
Jun Mihara (Japan)
CAF Bakary Gassama (Gambia) Djibril Camara (Senegal)
Elvis Noupue (Cameroon)		 Rédouane Jiyed (Morocco)
Ibrahim Nour El Din (Egypt)
Janny Sikazwe (Zambia) Zakhele Siwela (South Africa)
Jerson dos Santos (Angola)
CONCACAF Said Martínez (Honduras) Walter López (Honduras)
Christian Ramirez (Honduras)		 Adonai Escobedo (Mexico)
Fernando Guerrero (Mexico)
Jair Marrufo (United States)
Fernando Hernández Gómez (Mexico) Micheal Barwegen (Canada)
Karen Diaz Medina (Mexico)
CONMEBOL Andrés Matonte (Uruguay) Martin Soppi (Uruguay)
Carlos Barreiro (Uruguay)		 Eber Aquino (Paraguay)
Leodán González (Uruguay)
Rafael Traci (Brazil)
Juan Soto (Venezuela)
Wilton Sampaio (Brazil) Danilo Manis (Brazil)
Bruno Pires (Brazil)
Facundo Tello (Argentina) Ezequiel Brailovsky (Argentina)
Gabriel Chade (Argentina)
OFC Matthew Conger (New Zealand) Tevita Makasini (Tonga)
Bernard Mutukera (Solomon Islands)
UEFA Szymon Marciniak (Poland) Paweł Sokolnicki (Poland)
Tomasz Listkiewicz (Poland)		 Tomasz Kwiatkowski (Poland)
Guillermo Cuadra Fernández (Spain)
Christian Dingert (Germany)
Fabio Maresca (Italy)
Daniel Siebert (Germany) Rafael Foltyn (Germany)
Christian Gittelmann (Germany)

Venues
Host cities in Qatar
 Al Khor Al Wakrah
Al Bayt Stadium Al Janoub Stadium
Capacity: 60,000[21] Capacity: 40,000[22]
Stadiums in Doha area
 Doha
Stadium 974 Al Thumama Stadium
Capacity: 40,000[23] Capacity: 40,000[24]
Al Rayyan (Doha area)
Education City Stadium Ahmed bin Ali Stadium
Capacity: 45,350[25] Capacity: 44,740[26]

Qualification

Summary
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Libya  0–1  Sudan
Oman  2–1  Somalia
Jordan  3–0 (awd.)  South Sudan
Mauritania  2–0  Yemen
Lebanon  1–0  Djibouti
Palestine  5–1  Comoros
Bahrain  2–0  Kuwait

Matches

All times are local, AST (UTC+3).

Qualifying 7
Libya 0–1 Sudan
Report
  • Abdel Rahman  15' (pen.)
Attendance: 3,523
Referee: Saoud Ali Al-Adba (Qatar)
Qualifying 1
Oman 2–1 Somalia
 Report
Attendance: 551
Qualifying 3
Jordan 3–0
(awarded)[note 2]		 South Sudan
Report
Referee: Daniele Doveri (Italy)
Qualifying 5
Mauritania 2–0 Yemen
 Report
Attendance: 187
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
Qualifying 2
Lebanon 1–0 Djibouti
 Report
Attendance: 739
Qualifying 6
Palestine 5–1 Comoros
 Report
Attendance: 451
Referee: Daniele Doveri (Italy)
Qualifying 4
Bahrain 2–0 Kuwait
 Report
Attendance: 354

Group stage

All times are local, AST (UTC+3).[27]

Group stage schedule
Matchday Dates Matches
Matchday 1 30 November – 1 December 2021 1 v 4, 2 v 3
Matchday 2 3–4 December 2021 4 v 2, 3 v 1
Matchday 3 6–7 December 2021 3 v 4, 1 v 2

Tiebreakers

The ranking of teams in the group stage is determined as follows:[28]

  1. Points obtained in all group matches (three points for a win, one for a draw, none for a defeat);
  2. Goal difference in all group matches;
  3. Number of goals scored in all group matches;
  4. Points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question;
  5. Goal difference in the matches played between the teams in question;
  6. Number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question;
  7. Fair play points in all group matches (only one deduction could be applied to a player in a single match):
    • Yellow card: −1 point;
    • Indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points;
    • Direct red card: −4 points;
    • Yellow card and direct red card: −5 points;
  8. Drawing of lots.

Group A
Main article: 2021 FIFA Arab Cup Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Qatar (H) 3 3 0 0 6 1 +5 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Oman 3 1 1 1 5 3 +2 4
3  Iraq 3 0 2 1 1 4 −3 2
4  Bahrain 3 0 1 2 0 4 −4 1
Source: FIFA
(H) Host
Iraq 1–1 Oman
 Report
Attendance: 1,576
Qatar 1–0 Bahrain
 Report
Attendance: 47,813
Bahrain 0–0 Iraq
Report
Attendance: 2,576
Oman 1–2 Qatar
 Report
Attendance: 23,254
Oman 3–0 Bahrain
 Report
Attendance: 2,477
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)
Qatar 3–0 Iraq
 Report
Attendance: 23,008

Group B
Main article: 2021 FIFA Arab Cup Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Tunisia 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  United Arab Emirates 3 2 0 1 3 2 +1 6
3  Syria 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3
4  Mauritania 3 1 0 2 3 7 −4 3
Source: FIFA
Tunisia 5–1 Mauritania
 Report
Attendance: 2,494
United Arab Emirates 2–1 Syria
 Report
Attendance: 4,129
Mauritania 0–1 United Arab Emirates
Report
Attendance: 3,316
Referee: Andrés Matonte (Uruguay)
Syria 2–0 Tunisia
 Report
Attendance: 15,913
Referee: Fernando Hernández Gómez (Mexico)
Syria 1–2 Mauritania
 Report
Attendance: 8,539
Tunisia 1–0 United Arab Emirates
 Report
Attendance: 14,272

Group C
Main article: 2021 FIFA Arab Cup Group C
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Morocco 3 3 0 0 9 0 +9 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Jordan 3 2 0 1 6 5 +1 6
3  Saudi Arabia 3 0 1 2 1 3 −2 1
4  Palestine 3 0 1 2 2 10 −8 1
Source: FIFA
Morocco 4–0 Palestine
 Report
Attendance: 3,843
Saudi Arabia 0–1 Jordan
Report
Attendance: 4,777
Jordan 0–4 Morocco
Report
Attendance: 7,890
Palestine 1–1 Saudi Arabia
 Report
Attendance: 3,075
Morocco 1–0 Saudi Arabia
 Report
Attendance: 8,502
Referee: Andrés Matonte (Uruguay)
Jordan 5–1 Palestine
 Report
Attendance: 9,750

Group D
Main article: 2021 FIFA Arab Cup Group D
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Egypt 3 2 1 0 7 1 +6 7[lower-alpha 1] Advance to knockout stage
2  Algeria 3 2 1 0 7 1 +6 7[lower-alpha 1]
3  Lebanon 3 1 0 2 1 3 −2 3
4  Sudan 3 0 0 3 0 10 −10 0
Source: FIFA
Notes:
  1. Fair-play points: Egypt –6, Algeria –11.
Algeria 4–0 Sudan
 Report
Attendance: 2,203
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)
Egypt 1–0 Lebanon
 Report
Attendance: 11,757
Lebanon 0–2 Algeria
Report
Attendance: 9,405
Sudan 0–5 Egypt
Report
Attendance: 14,464
Algeria 1–1 Egypt
 Report
Attendance: 32,418
Lebanon 1–0 Sudan
 Report
Attendance: 5,991
Referee: Fernando Hernández Gómez (Mexico)

Knockout stage

Bracket
 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
10 December – Al Rayyan (Education)
 
 
 Tunisia2
 
15 December – Doha (974)
 
 Oman1
 
 Tunisia1
 
11 December – Al Wakrah
 
 Egypt0
 
 Egypt (a.e.t.)3
 
18 December – Al Khor
 
 Jordan1
 
 Tunisia
 
10 December – Al Khor
 
 Algeria
 
 Qatar5
 
15 December – Doha (Al Thumama)
 
 United Arab Emirates0
 
 Qatar1
 
11 December – Doha (Al Thumama)
 
 Algeria2 Third place play-off
 
 Morocco2 (3)
 
18 December – Doha (974)
 
 Algeria (p)2 (5)
 
 Egypt
 
 
 Qatar
 

Quarter-finals
Tunisia 2–1 Oman
 Report
Attendance: 21,329
Qatar 5–0 United Arab Emirates
 Report
Attendance: 63,439
Referee: Andrés Matonte (Uruguay)
Egypt 3–1 (a.e.t.) Jordan
 Report
Attendance: 28,306
Morocco 2–2 (a.e.t.) Algeria
 Report
Penalties
 3–5
Attendance: 24,823

Semi-finals
Tunisia 1–0 Egypt
 Report
Attendance: 36,427
Qatar 1–2 Algeria
 Report
Attendance: 42,405

Third place play-off
Egypt Match 31 Qatar
Report

Final
Main article: 2021 FIFA Arab Cup Final
Tunisia Match 32 Algeria
Report

Statistics

Goalscorers

There have been 81 goals scored in 30 matches, for an average of 2.7 goals per match (as of 15 December 2021). Players highlighted in bold are still active in the competition.

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Source: FIFA

Assists
As of 15 December 2021

An assist is awarded for a pass leading directly to a goal. In the 2021 Arab Cup there is a total of 41 assists. Players highlighted in bold are still active in the competition.

4 assists

2 assists

1 assist

Source: FIFA

Final ranking

As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.

R Team G P W D L GF GA GD Pts.
1 6
2 6
3 6
4 6
Eliminated in the quarter-finals
5  Morocco C 4 3 1 0 11 2 +9 10
6  Jordan C 4 2 0 2 7 8 -1 6
7  United Arab Emirates B 4 2 0 2 3 7 -4 6
8  Oman A 4 1 1 2 6 5 +1 4
Eliminated in the group stage
9  Syria B 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3
10  Lebanon D 3 1 0 2 1 3 -2 3
11  Mauritania B 3 1 0 2 3 7 -4 3
12  Iraq A 3 0 2 1 1 4 -3 2
13  Saudi Arabia C 3 0 1 2 1 3 -2 1
14  Bahrain A 3 0 1 2 0 4 -4 1
15  Palestine C 3 0 1 2 2 10 -8 1
16  Sudan D 3 0 0 3 0 10 -10 0

Broadcasting rights
Country/Region Broadcaster Ref.
 Indonesia MNC Vision, K-Vision
 Malaysia Astro SuperSport
 Qatar beIN Sports [30]
AlKass Sports [31]
 South Korea SBS Sports [32]
 United States Fox Sports
World FIFATV (Youtube)

Notes
  1. South Sudan, which is not part of the Arab world, also participated in the qualifying stage.
  2. The third qualification match was awarded to Jordan due to a forfeit from South Sudan as multiple players and staff had positive COVID-19 test results upon their arrival in Qatar.[11]

References
  1. "FIFA President confirms 22 national teams will participate in FIFA Arab Cup 2021 in Qatar". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  2. "الاتحاد العربي" يعلن عن مسابقاته للموسم القادم [The "Arab Union" announces its competitions for the next season]. UAFA (in Arabic). 25 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  3. "Libya receives invitation to participate in FIFA-backed pan-Arab tournament 2021 in Qatar". www.libyaobserver.ly. 25 July 2020.
  4. "FIFA Arab Cup 2021 – Teams – Lebanon". FIFA.com. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  5. "Draw sets the stage for an exciting FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021". FIFA.com. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  6. "Semi-automated offside technology explained ahead of FIFA Arab Cup". FIFA.com. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  7. "Qatar to host FIFA Arab Cup 2021 draw on 27 April". FIFA.com. 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  8. Abou Diab, Rami (27 November 2020). "New FIFA Ranking revealed". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  9. "FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021: Draw procedures" (PDF). FIFA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  10. Harby, Ahmed (26 April 2021). منتخب مصر بالمستوى الثانى فى تصنيف قرعة كأس العرب 2021 [The Egyptian national team is ranked second in the 2021 Arab Cup draw]. youm7.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  11. "FIFA Arab Cup 2021 qualification match between Jordan and South Sudan forfeited". FIFA.com. 21 June 2021.
  12. "Local players to represent Algeria at 2021 Arab Cup". APS. 26 July 2021.
  13. "Coupe Arabe 2022, le Groupe de l'Algérie se Complete". faf.dz. 23 June 2021.
  14. "Coupe Arabe FIFA 2021, l'Algérie Invitée Officielement". faf.dz. 26 July 2021.
  15. "Coupe Arabe de la FIFA – Qatar 2021 : Les 23 Verts pour le Qatar". faf.dz. 20 November 2021.
  16. "Les Lions Locaux tournés vers la Coupe Arabe 2021". Lions de l'Atlas. ELMB. 26 March 2021.
  17. "Coupe Arabe de la FIFA Qatar 2021 (préparation)". frmf.ma. 9 October 2021.
  18. "FIFA Men's Ranking – April 2021 (AFC)". FIFA.com. 7 April 2021. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021.
  19. "Excitement mounts ahead of FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 draw". FIFA. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  20. "List of appointed Match Officials" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association.
  21. "Al Bayt Stadium: A uniquely Qatari stadium, to rival the best in the world". 8 January 2018.
  22. "Tradition and innovation come together as striking Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah City is opened". 16 May 2019.
  23. "Qatar Foundation Stadium: An amazing experience for fans & a bright future for football". 8 January 2018. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  24. "Al Thuymama Stadium: A tribute to our region". 8 January 2018.
  25. "Ras Abu Aboud Stadium: A legacy for the community". 8 January 2018.
  26. "Al Rayyan Stadium: The gateway to the desert opens its doors to the world". 8 January 2018.
  27. "FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021: Match schedule" (PDF). FIFA. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  28. "FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Regulations" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  29. "Coupe arabe: le magnifique but de Benayada contre le Qatar". Le Score. Hacen Guenoun. 15 December 2021.
  30. "beIN SPORTS Acquires Rights to FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021". Al Bawaba. 27 November 2021.
  31. "the frequency of the AlKass open channel, the carrier of the Arab Cup matches". Middleeast in-24. 4 December 2021.
  32. "2021 FIFA 아랍 컵 중계일정 안내 (12/1~)". SBS Sports (in Korean). 1 December 2021.
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