Doha: The Arab Cup boasts a rich history spanning more than six decades, from its inaugural edition in 1963 to its eleventh edition, which will be hosted in Doha from Dec. 1 to 18.
According to Qatar News Agency, the Arab Cup was conceived as a unique sporting event aimed at bringing together Arab national teams in a competitive atmosphere, fostering Arab unity through sport, and projecting a positive image of the Arab region to the world.
The tournament has consistently drawn the attention of Arab fans for its nationalist significance and as an opportunity to showcase Arab football talents beyond the global spotlight. However, the tournament has faced irregularity over the nine editions held from the first in Lebanon to the ninth in Saudi Arabia in 2012, under the direct supervision of the Arab Football Federation. Various circumstances prevented the tournament from maintaining a consistent schedule, with fluctuating numbers of participating teams.
The tenth edition, hosted by Doha in 2021, marked a historic turning point for the Arab Cup, serving as a distinctive step toward global recognition after the tournament received FIFA's official acknowledgment for the first time. FIFA's decision to recognize the Arab Cup sought to create a unique and high-quality experience to test the facilities that Qatar had built to host the FIFA World Cup 2022, including stadiums and infrastructure, as it was the first World Cup held in the Middle East and the Arab region. The remarkable success of both the Arab Cup and the World Cup finals prompted FIFA to formalize the tournament under its umbrella for three upcoming editions: beginning with the next edition in 2025, followed by 2029 and 2033. All three tournaments are planned to be hosted in Qatar to ensure the same momentum and success achieved during the tenth edition and the World Cup 2022.
The idea of the Arab Cup originated with the Lebanese Football Federation in 1962, aiming to create an Arab sporting tournament that would bring together young Arab athletes and elevate the level of football in the region. The concept was embraced by other Arab countries such as Tunisia, Syria, Jordan, and Kuwait, alongside Lebanon, all of which expressed interest in establishing the first edition. The inaugural tournament was held in a single-stage league format, with Tunisia claiming the title after earning seven points from four matches, becoming the first champions in the competition's history. Syria finished as runners-up, while the host nation, Lebanon, secured third place.
The second edition was held in Kuwait in 1964, marking the first participation for teams such as Libya and Iraq, while Lebanon, Kuwait, and Jordan took part for the second time. The tournament featured five teams again and was organized in the same single-stage league format as the first edition, with Iraq claiming the title after collecting seven points. The third edition took place in Iraq in 1966, with wider participation as the number of teams increased to ten. The tournament adopted a new format, dividing the teams into two groups. Libya, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon advanced to the semi-finals. Syria defeated Lebanon 1-0, while Iraq overcame Libya 3-2. In the final, Iraq won the title for the second consecutive time by beating Syria 2-1, and Libya secured third place after a 6-1 victory over Lebanon.
The tournament then went on a hiatus of nearly nineteen years, returning with the fourth edition in Saudi Arabia in 1985. This edition saw the debut of Qatar national team, alongside five other teams, forming a total of six teams divided into two groups. Qatar reached the semi-finals alongside Bahrain, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. Iraq defeated Saudi Arabia 3-2, while Qatar lost to Bahrain in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in regular time. Iraq claimed its third consecutive title by defeating Bahrain 1-0 in the final, and Saudi Arabia secured third place by beating Qatar on penalties following a goalless draw.
The fifth edition was hosted in Amman, Jordan, in 1988, featuring ten teams divided into two groups. Jordan, Syria, Egypt, and Iraq advanced to the semi-finals. Iraq defeated Jordan 3-0, while Syria overcame Egypt on penalties after a goalless draw. In the final, Iraq triumphed over Syria on penalties to win its fourth consecutive title, with Egypt finishing third following a 2-0 victory over host nation Jordan.
The sixth edition took place in Syria in 1992 with only six teams, divided into two groups. Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Syria advanced to the semi-finals, where Saudi Arabia defeated Kuwait 2-0, and Egypt overcame Syria on penalties after a goalless draw. In the final, Egypt beat Saudi Arabia 3-2 to claim its first Arab Cup title, while Kuwait finished third by defeating Syria 2-1.
Qatar made history as a host for the first time when Doha welcomed the seventh edition in 1998, featuring a record number of 12 Arab national teams. The teams were divided into three groups for the competition. Al-Annabi advanced to the semifinals alongside Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. Qatar then reached the final after defeating the UAE 2-1, setting up a meeting with Saudi Arabia, which had overcome Kuwait by the same score. In the championship match, Qatar fell 3-1 to finish as runners-up, while the UAE claimed third place with a 4-1 victory over Kuwait.
A four-year gap returned between the seventh and eighth editions, with the latter held in Kuwait in late 2002 and featuring ten teams divided into two groups. Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain qualified for the semifinals. Saudi Arabia defeated Morocco 2-0, while Bahrain edged Jordan 2-1. In the final, Saudi Arabia clinched the title with a golden goal after the match ended goalless in regular time.
After a decade-long hiatus, the tournament returned with its ninth edition, hosted by Saudi Arabia in 2012. This edition featured 11 teams, grouped into three pools for the first time. Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Libya, and Iraq reached the semifinals. Libya beat Saudi Arabia 2-0, while Morocco defeated Iraq 2-1. The final brought together Libya and Morocco, with Morocco securing its first-ever title after winning on penalties following a 1-1 draw in regular and extra time. Iraq finished third after a 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia.
A new chapter unfolded in the history of the Arab Cup when the tournament returned after a nine-year absence, re-emerging in a completely new form that lifted it out of its previous cycle of irregular appearances and inconsistent organization. The competition had long struggled with recurring crises, logistical challenges, a lack of sponsors, and the absence of a fixed structure or format.
The tenth edition, hosted by Doha in 2021, marked the tournament's transformation from a regional event into a global one. Qatar secured official recognition from FIFA, making it the first Arab Cup to be held under the umbrella of world football's governing body. This edition introduced sweeping changes in format, regulations, and overall structure. For the first time, the scale of participation required a qualification stage to narrow the field to 16 teams. Fourteen teams competed in the preliminary qualifiers, from which seven advanced to join the nine highest-ranked Arab teams who qualified directly, based on the FIFA World Ranking ahead of the draw.
The tournament's matches were held across six stadiums that would later host FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 games, drawing exceptional crowds and showcasing a remarkable level of footballing quality. Algeria claimed the title after defeating Tunisia 2-0 in the final, while host nation Qatar secured third place with a 5-4 penalty shootout win over Egypt following a goalless draw in regular and extra time.
The tournament marked the first-ever use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in the Arab Cup. It also recorded unprecedented attendance levels, with stadiums whose minimum capacity stood at 40,000 reaching an average occupancy of nearly 80 percent. The event saw the highest single-match attendance in the tournament's history: 63,439 spectators for Qatar-UAE quarterfinal at Al Bayt Stadium.
In the all-time records of the Arab Cup since its launch in 1963, Iraq stands as the most successful team, winning the title on four occasions (1964, 1966, 1985, and 1988). Saudi Arabia follows with two titles, earned in the 1998 and 2002 editions. Four other nations have each lifted the trophy once: Tunisia in 1963, Egypt in 1992, Morocco in 2012, and Algeria in 2021. Jordan is the tournament's most frequent participant, appearing in nine out of ten editions and playing 38 matches in total. It is followed by Kuwait and Lebanon, each of which took part in eight editions and played 30 matches. Saudi Arabia and Syria both appeared in seven editions, with Saudi Arabia holding the edge in total matches played (29 compared to Syria's 28).