With just few months left for the World Cup, football in the Middle East is getting a boost with the FIFA Arab Cup 2021. It is not a new competition, having been established way back in 1953. The tournament is finally returning after nine long years, with the last edition being held in 2012 where Saudi Arabia had hosted it and Morocco turned out as the champions.

After a nine-year hiatus, the competition is back with its tenth edition. The most successful side in the competition is Iraq, having won the competition four times. Saudi Arabia are the next best, having won it twice. This competition would be a very good prelude or a rehearsal to the World Cup where star players from different countries would light up the Middle East with some exhilarating football.  Qatar would host the competition. This is also the first time that the tournament is organised by FIFA.

Which teams are taking part in the competition?

A total of 16 national teams would be seen in action in the competition. They are divided into four groups.

Group A: Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Iraq,

Group B: United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Syria and Mauritania

Group C: Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Palestine

Group D: Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon and Sudan

Format of the competition:

The 16 teams have been split into four groups each as said above. The top two sides from each group would make it to the quarterfinals. The final of the tournament would be played on December 18.

Live Streaming and Telecast in India:

BeIn Sports have acquired the official broadcasting rights for the competition. However, details regarding the live telecast and streaming of this event in India are not available at the moment. Watch this space for later updates on this.

Take a look at the fixtures:

Group A

Date Matches
30/11/2021 Iraq vs Oman
30/11/2021 Qatar vs Bahrain
3/12/2021 Bahrain vs Iraq
3/12/2021 Oman vs Qatar
6/12/2021 Oman vs Bahrain
6/12/2021 Qatar vs Iraq

 

Group B

Date Matches
30/11/2021 Tunisia vs Mauritinia
30/11/2021 UAE vs Syria
3/12/2021 Mauritania vs UAE
3/12/2021 Syria vs Tunisia
6/12/2021 Syria vs Mauritania
6/12/2021 Tunisia vs UAE

Group C

Date Matches
1/12/2021 Morocco vs Palestine
1/12/2021 Saudi Arabia vs Jordan
4/12/2021 Jordan vs Morocco
4/12/2021 Palestine vs Saudi Arabia
7/12/2021 Morocco vs Saudi Arabia
7/12/2021 Jordan vs Palestine

 

Group D

Date Matches
1/12/2021 Algeria vs Sudan
1/12/2021 Egypt vs Lebanon
4/12/2021 Lebanon vs Algeria
4/12/2021 Sudan vs Egypt
7/12/2021 Algeria vs Egypt
7/12/2021 Lebanon vs Sudan

Some exciting international football action would be enjoyed by fans as Qatar gets ready to host the World Cup in some months. The success of this competition would have a big say in how they end up hosting the showpiece event.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 30, 2021 09:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).