FIFA to test Qatar readiness with Arab Cup

The world’s football governing body, FIFA, revealed on Tuesday that the organisation has put in place a FIFA Arab Cup that will be contested by 23 nations on dates to be determined but the dates will likely be between November and December 2021-to make it an exact dress rehearsal for the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

The draw for the 16-nation tournament was held on Tuesday, April 27, at the Katara Opera House to determine the four groups.

Group A: Qatar, Iraq, Winner of Oman v. Somalia and Winner of Bahrain v. Kuwait

Group B: Tunisia, UAE, Syria, and Winner of Mauritania v. Yemen

Group C: Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Winner of Jordan v. South Sudan, and Winner of Palestine v. Comoros

Group D: Algeria, Egypt, Winner of Lebanon v. Djibouti, and Winner of Libya v. Sudan

First, “the 14 lowest-ranked teams according to the April edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking will participate in single-leg play-offs ahead of the tournament.” Oman [80] will face off against Somalia [197]; Lebanon [9] will test her mettle against Djibouti [183];

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Jordan [95] will play South Sudan [169]; it will be Bahrain [99] versus Kuwait [148]; Mauritania [101] will be up against Yemen [145]; Palestine [104 will test the strength of the Comoros Islands [131; while Libya [119] face off against African neighbours Sudan [123].

The communique stated, “The FIFA Arab Cup™ will be held at the end of 2021 and is seen as a vital opportunity to test operations and facilities exactly a year before Qatar hosts the first FIFA World Cup™ in the Middle East and the Arab world. The finals of both events are set to take place on 18 December – Qatar’s National Day.”

“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.”