Fourteen teams eye seven qualifying spots for FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025

Doha, Qatar: Fourteen national teams will compete in the qualifying stage to secure seven spots for the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025, which will be hosted...

Doha, Qatar: Fourteen national teams will compete in the qualifying stage to secure seven spots for the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025, which will be hosted in Doha from December 1 to 18. The teams will compete for these spots through qualification matches held in the Qatari capital.

The seven qualification matches will take place on Nov. 25 and 26. The opening match will feature Mauritania against Kuwait tomorrow at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium at Al Sadd Sports Club. It is an unpredictable encounter between two teams with strong players, each aiming to book a place once again in this major Arab competition.

The Kuwaiti national team enter the qualifiers relying on their history in the Arab Cup, having participated in eight of the previous ten editions. They aim to bounce back from failing to qualify for the most recent edition, hosted by Qatar in 2021, after losing to Bahrain 2-0 in the qualifiers, as well as from exiting the third round of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 . Meanwhile, Mauritania aim to secure what would be their third appearance in the tournament, having featured in the 1985 edition in Saudi Arabia and the 2021 edition in Qatar, while also seeking to bounce back from missing out on qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Morocco at the end of December.

In another match, Syria will face South Sudan at Grand Hamad Stadium at Al Arabi Club. On paper, Syria holds the advantage given the strong quality of the players, in addition to the expected large support from Syrian fans in Doha, who enjoyed the atmosphere of the tournament's previous edition.

South Sudan, on the other hand, hope to qualify for the Arab Cup for the first time and to overcome the disappointment of failing to reach the previous edition after their 3-0 loss to Jordan in the qualifiers.