Miles to Kick Off: Arab Teams’ Travel Quest at World Cup 2026

Overview of the travel tens of thousands of kilometers

Broadcast reports reveal the distances Arab national teams will cover for the World Cup 2026 group stage, staged in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Seven Arab nations are taking part: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan from Asia, and Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria from Africa. Al Arabiya notes that Qatar will travel the most, about 14,700 kilometers, starting in Doha, passing through San Francisco, then continuing to Vancouver and Seattle.

Jordan comes in second with around 14,500 kilometers, from Amman to San Francisco for two matches, before moving on to Dallas. Saudi Arabia ranks third, with roughly 14,300 kilometers, flying from Riyadh to Miami to face Uruguay, via Atlanta to play Spain, and finishing in Houston against Cape Verde.

Distances by team in brief

Tunisia is next at about 11,500 kilometers, from Tunis to Monterrey for two games, then onward to Kansas for the third. Egypt travels about 11,400 kilometers, starting in Cairo, then to Seattle, then on to Vancouver, before returning to Seattle. Algeria will cover around 9,000 kilometers, departing from Algiers to Kansas for the opening match, then to Dallas, before heading back to Kansas.

Morocco completes the list with roughly 8,000 kilometers, starting in Rabat, then to New York, and on to Boston and Atlanta. If you’re keeping score, imagine a travel agency that only sells red-eye flights and coffee refills. Punchline: these teams don’t just chase goals, they chase layovers with the stamina of a season finale cliffhanger. Punchline 2: in this World Cup, the mileage might just earn them MVP—Most Very Practical airline miles.