Identity in Play: The Arab Cup 2025 Sparks a Cultural Showdown in Qatar

Historical Background

As the Arab Cup 2025 approaches, a distinctive clash heats up that rivals the intensity on the green field, pitting the participating nations against a shared tapestry of culture and symbol.

The host nation, Qatar, welcomes the Arab Cup from December 1 to 18, 2025, in a standout edition where Saudi Arabia will compete with their first-choice squad led by French coach Hervé Renard.

The tournament is expected to hinge less on coaches’ plans or players’ skills and more on the idiosyncrasies of the fans in the stands, a matter of identity and belonging.

With evolving media and wider reach of social platforms, the fan culture and the ultras phenomenon have made songs and chants a defining mark for every nation.

As media coverage expands, the fan associations—ultras—have helped songs become a distinctive emblem for each team, amplifying the tournament’s cultural heartbeat.

History of Crowd Chants

From “Always Morocco” to “Oh Green, Oh Saudi,” a long history reflects how diverse the vocal traditions are in Arab terraces from coast to gulf.

Each supporter group now has its signature chant: Gulf region fans gravitate toward a steady, rhythmic style drawn from traditional displays; Egyptian crowds favor folk rhythms and ballads; and Maghreb fans lean on drums and regional beats such as the Rabda and Staifi.

In recent years, nationalized anthems have sharpened the identity edge, turning chants into symbols of belonging. Media attention has elevated these songs as essential ambience for the tournament, with “Diima Maghrib” in Morocco, “No Wind Shall Move You, Green” in Saudi Arabia, “Auténtico Beladi” in Egypt, and “One, Two, Three Viva Algeria” in Algeria uniting fans behind their teams and adding a festive energy on par with players’ performances.

Across the stands, banners and tifos emerged as artful expressions—large signs and unified color blocks evolved into illuminated, digitally designed displays guided by coordinated crowd movements.

Artistic Displays

Crowd support has stretched beyond songs to include visual art, notably tifos, which push cheering beyond tradition into bold statements that can carry political or sporting messages.

Arab fans encountered the tifos at the turn of the new millennium, initially through simple banners and colored boards, then advancing to lighting effects and dynamic designs that synchronize with the crowd’s choreography.

Legacy of the Qatar World Cup

The 2022 World Cup hosted by Qatar demonstrated how a host nation can mirror and celebrate Arabic culture and heritage, even elevating the Arabic language to official FIFA status as part of the tournament’s legacy.

The World Cup songs celebrated Arab musical heritage and image, a trend fans expect to see echo again in the Arab Cup, blending music with chants and spectacular tifos to turn matches into carnival-like spectacles.

Arab fans anticipate experiences similar to 2022, where music, chants, and tifos converge with organized stadiums to create festivals that extend beyond the final whistle.

Saudi Squad

Harnessing the national pride, Hervé Renard has called 23 players to the Saudi roster for the Arab Cup 2025 in Qatar, taking part with the main squad from December 1 to 18. The following list outlines the players: Goalkeepers: Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Ragid Najar, Abdulrahman Al-Sanabi. Defenders: Abdulilah Al-Amri, Walid Al-Ahmad, Nawaf Bosl, Mohammed Suleiman, Jihad Zikri, Hassan Al-Temebakti, Ali Mujrshi. Midfielders: Murad Al-Housawi, Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat, Masab Al-Jouir, Mohammed Kano, Abdullah Al-Khbreeri, Ayman Yahya, Nasser Al-Dosari. Forwards: Salem Al-Dossari, Abdulrahman Al-Aboud, Abdulrahman Al-Hamdan, Saleh Al-Shehri, Firas Al-Brekan, Saleh Abu Al-Shamat.

In any case, the Green Army will be out to prove that unity and rhythm can outplay tactics and technique, and the stadiums will sing along to the anthem of a nation in full voice. And yes, if the fans bring the noise, the opposing goalkeeper might start taking singing lessons.

Two punchlines for the road: first, football is a sport where your favorite chant has more followers than your cousin’s gym posts. Second, the offside rule may be strict, but the fans’ offbeat rhythm is strictly legendary.