Qatar Hosts the Next Three Editions of the Arab Cup

The International Football Association Board announced today, Wednesday, that Qatar has been granted the honor of hosting the next three editions of the Arab Cup. The tournaments will take place in 2025, 2029, and 2033, as decided during the meetings of the “FIFA Congress” scheduled for Friday in the Thai capital, Bangkok.

A FIFA statement read: “At the request of the Qatar Football Association, Qatar will host the Arab Cup in 2025, 2029, and 2033.”

Qatar had previously expressed its desire to host the Arab Football Cup for a second consecutive time in December 2025. This intention was revealed by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, in a television interview in mid-February.

Sheikh Hamad said in a television interview: “As a Qatari, I can say that Qatar has announced its desire, but as Vice President of the Arab Football Federation, there is no clear decision yet.”

The former president of the Qatar Football Association continued: “There is an idea to have the Arab Cup follow the same format as the last edition, at the same level, and under the sponsorship of FIFA and the Arab Football Federation. We are in the final stages of organizing the tournament to take place in December 2025 in Qatar under the FIFA umbrella.”

Sheikh Hamad added: “We hope to coordinate with FIFA for a quick decision because the region needs such tournaments. Playing under the FIFA umbrella is one of the main reasons for its success and for countries to be enthusiastic about participating.”

Qatar hosted the last edition of the Arab Cup in December 2021 with the participation of 16 teams. Algeria won the title, defeating Tunisia, in what was considered a mini “rehearsal” for the 2022 World Cup.

A year after hosting the Arab Cup, Qatar hosted the World Cup finals in late 2022 with the participation of 32 teams. Additionally, Qatar hosted the Asian Cup last January and February, which ended with their team winning the continental title for the second time in a row.