Arab Cup 2025: A Stage for Arab Football to Shine
As anticipation grows for the Arab Cup 2025, hosted by Qatar from December 1 to 18, former Saudi star Manaf Abu Shuqair says the tournament offers a platform to showcase Arab football, with the region's top teams ready to compete on a world stage.
Abu Shuqair told the local organizing committee that Saudi Arabia's goal is more than mere participation; they intend to challenge for the title and lift the trophy.
Wearing the national jersey is a source of pride and a huge achievement for any player, giving a sense of responsibility the moment the whistle blows.
He underlined the passion of Saudi fans, vividly in the stands supporting both clubs and the national team.
“We witness in the stands the fans' passion for football, whether backing clubs or the national team. In the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar, Saudi support has been strong, filling players with pride and motivation to meet expectations,” Abu Shuqair said.
He also praised Qatar’s pivotal role in lifting football in the region, through hosting global tournaments and the exceptional World Cup 2022.
“What Qatar achieved by hosting the 2022 World Cup turned it into a true global festival,” he remarked, noting world-class stadiums, modern facilities, and a memorable tournament on every level.
Abu Shuqair, who earned 37 international caps and spent over a decade with Al-Ittihad — a period marked by two consecutive AFC Champions League titles (2004, 2005) — added that the club also reached the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, finishing fourth, one of the team’s landmark global achievements.
The Arab Cup draw placed Saudi Arabia in Group B alongside Morocco and the winners of the Oman-Somalia and Yemen-Comoros ties. The Green Falcons open their campaign on December 2 against the winner of Oman-Somalia at Education City Stadium, 8 p.m.
Doha will host the tournament across six FIFA World Cup-stadiums: Al Bayt, Lusail, Ahmed bin Ali, Education City, Khalifa International, and 974.
Sixteen teams compete for the title, with nine automatically qualified; 14 nations vie for the seven remaining spots in the qualifying rounds on November 25-26 in Qatar.
Big football activity in Qatar
In the near future, Qatar will host a string of football events, led by the Arab Cup and the FIFA World Cup U-17, which concludes soon.
Additionally, the organizing committee of the Club World Cup, in collaboration with FIFA, announced Qatar will host the final three matches of the annual tournament to decide the world’s best club for 2025. The event will further enrich Qatar’s international calendar, with December featuring three titles: the American Derby Cup, the Challenge Cup, and the Club World Cup final on dates December 10, 13, and 17.
Qatar has staged the Club World Cup three times before (2019, 2020, 2024), with Real Madrid lifting the trophy in Lusail in 2024. The December schedule will feature a clash between the CONCACAF champions Cruz Azul and the Libertadores winners Palmeiras for the Derby Cup, while the victor will face Pyramids FC of Egypt for the Challenge Cup, and potentially Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final.
