The draw for the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021™ was conducted at Katara Opera House in Doha tonight.
The nine highest-ranked teams, including host country Qatar, will join the seven winners from the qualifying stage in the final tournament. The 16 teams have been drawn into four groups of four, as follows:
Group A: Qatar, Iraq, Winner of Oman v. Somalia and Winner of Bahrain v. Kuwait
Group B: Tunisia, UAE, Syria and Winner of Mauritania v. Yemen
Group C: Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Winner of Jordan v. South Sudan and Winner of Palestine v. Comoros
Group D: Algeria, Egypt, Winner of Lebanon v. Djibouti and Winner of Libya v. Sudan
The four group winners and four group runners-up will proceed to the knockout stage: quarter-finals, semi-finals, third-place play-off and final. The matches will take place at six Qatar 2022 stadiums, with the venues set to be confirmed in due course.
The tournament will take place later this year – during a similar timeslot to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. It is seen as a vital opportunity to test operations and facilities exactly a year before Qatar hosts the first World Cup in the Middle East and Arab world.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks on stage during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw
27 Apr 2021
DOHA, QATAR – APRIL 27: Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA speaks on stage during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw at Katara Opera House on April 27, 2021 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Mohamed Farag – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
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FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw
27 Apr 2021
DOHA, QATAR – APRIL 27: Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA looks on from his seat during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw at Katara Opera House on April 27, 2021 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Mohamed Farag – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
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FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw
27 Apr 2021
DOHA, QATAR – APRIL 27: A general view as the draw assistants make their way onto the stage during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw at Katara Opera House on April 27, 2021 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Mohamed Farag – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
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Manolo Zubiria, Director of Competitions at FIFA talks during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw at Katara Opera House
27 Apr 2021
DOHA, QATAR – APRIL 27: Manolo Zubiria, Director of Competitions at FIFA talks during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw at Katara Opera House on April 27, 2021 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Mohamed Farag – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
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FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw
27 Apr 2021
DOHA, QATAR – APRIL 27: Nawaf Al Temyat of Saudi Arabia holds out the name for Lebanon as he helps with the draw during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw at Katara Opera House on April 27, 2021 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Mohamed Farag – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
© Getty Images
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FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw
27 Apr 2021
DOHA, QATAR – APRIL 27: Haytham Mustafa of Sudan holds out the name for Somalia as he helps with the draw during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw at Katara Opera House on April 27, 2021 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Mohamed Farag – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
© Getty Images
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FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw
27 Apr 2021
DOHA, QATAR – APRIL 27: Younis Mahmoud of Iraq holds out the name for Iraq as he helps with the draw during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw at Katara Opera House on April 27, 2021 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Mohamed Farag – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
© Getty Images
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FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw
27 Apr 2021
DOHA, QATAR – APRIL 27: Wael Gomaa of Egypt holds out the name for Syria as he helps during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw at Katara Opera House on April 27, 2021 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Mohamed Farag – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
© Getty Images
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FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw
27 Apr 2021
DOHA, QATAR – APRIL 27: (L-R) Nawaf Al Temyat of Saudi Arabia, Younis Mahmoud of Iraq, Manolo Zubiria, Director of Competitions at FIFA, Wael Gomaa of Egypt and Haytham Mustafa of Sudan stand on stage during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Official Draw at Katara Opera House on April 27, 2021 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Mohamed Farag – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
© Getty Images
Ahead of the draw, FIFA confirmed the pairings for the qualifying matches. The 14 lowest-ranked teams will take part in single-leg matches, based on the April edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking:
Oman (FIFA world ranking: 80) v. Somalia (197)
Lebanon (93) v. Djibouti (183)
Jordan (95) v. South Sudan (169)
Bahrain (99) v. Kuwait (148)
Mauritania (101) v. Yemen (145)
Palestine (104) v. Comoros (131)
Libya (119) v. Sudan (123)