Doha: The draw for the 11th edition of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 will occur tomorrow, Sunday, in Doha. The tournament is scheduled to be hosted by Qatar from December 1 to 18 under FIFA's supervision for the second consecutive time.
According to Qatar News Agency, FIFA adjusted the timing of the draw ceremony, initially planned for today, to tomorrow due to its previous conflict with the final of the 2025 Amir Cup between Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa at Khalifa International Stadium. The international football federation granted Qatar the right to host the next three editions of the Arab Cup in 2025, 2029, and 2033.
FIFA used its April 3 world rankings to determine the nine teams that will qualify directly for the finals, while the remaining teams will compete in a preliminary round on November 25 and 26, just before the tournament begins. Based on FIFA rankings, the teams that have qualified directly for the finals are Qatar (host, ranked 55th), Morocco (12th), Egypt (32nd), Algeria (defending champion, 36th), Tunisia (49th), Saudi Arabia (58th), Iraq (59th), Jordan (62nd), and the United Arab Emirates (65th).
The teams set to compete in the playoff round are Oman (77th), Bahrain (84th), Syria (93rd), Palestine (101st), Mauritania (110th), Lebanon (112th), Sudan (114th), Libya (117th), Kuwait (134th), Yemen (158th), South Sudan (170th), Djibouti (192nd), and Somalia (201st). Seven teams will advance from the playoff to join the nine already qualified, completing the 16-team lineup.
FIFA announced that Qatar, Algeria, Morocco, and Egypt will head the four groups in the finals and will be placed in the top seeding pot. Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Jordan will be in the second pot. The UAE, along with three playoff winners, will be placed in the third pot, while the fourth pot will include four other playoff winners.
Before the finals draw, FIFA revealed the matchups for the playoff round. The 14 teams were split by geography between Asia and Africa, with the highest-ranked Asian team facing the lowest-ranked African team, and so on. According to the April rankings, the following fixtures were determined: Oman vs. Somalia, Bahrain vs. Djibouti, Syria vs. South Sudan, Palestine vs. Libya, Lebanon vs. Sudan, Kuwait vs. Mauritania, and Yemen vs. Comoros. Winners of the first three matches will join the UAE in Pot 3 for the finals draw, while winners of the remaining four matches will enter Pot 4.
The previous edition of the FIFA Arab Cup, held in Qatar in 2021, was considered a success. It was played in the same stadiums used for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, featuring competitive matches and significant attendance. A total of 571,605 spectators attended the 32 matches, averaging nearly 18,000 per match. Algeria claimed the title by defeating Tunisia 2-0 after extra time in the final at Al Bayt Stadium, attended by more than 60,000 fans.