Rabat —The 2025 FIFA Arab Cup will be held from December 1 to 18 in Qatar, but the timing is causing some problems for national teams from North Africa.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced in December that the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) will start on December 21, 2025 — only three days after the final game for the Arab Cup.
Morocco is likely to participate in the Qatar Arab Cup with a squad made of domestic-league players, as they did in 2021 when they lost on penalty kicks to title-holders Algeria in the quarter-finals.
The last FIFA Arab Cup brought together 16 Arab national teams. The event served as a warm-up for Qatar, which was set to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Algeria won the tournament after beating Tunisia 2-0 in the final to secure their first Arab Cup title.
FIFA has exempted Morocco, among other Arab teams, from the play-off round for the Arab Cup due to their FIFA ranking. This list also includes Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the Emirates, Oman, and the host nation Qatar.
