Qatar announces six stadiums for FIFA Arab Cup 2025 matches
DOHA: CEO of the Football Tournaments Organizing Committee Jassim Abdulaziz Al Jassim has announced that the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 will take place across the six World Cup stadiums of Al Bayt, Lusail, Khalifa International, Ahmad Bin Ali, 974, and Education City.
During a media roundtable discussion, Al Jassim revealed that the tournament's opening match is scheduled for December 1, at Al Bayt Stadium, while Lusail Stadium will host the final on December 18.
Expectations for high-quality competition and strong fan engagement are high, as participating Arab teams are expected to field their best players, benefiting from the timing of the tournament, which aligns with mid-season breaks in various domestic leagues.
The December 18 final will not conflict with the African teams participating in the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, which starts three days later.
According to Al Jassim, discussions were held with Morocco's Football Federation to coordinate scheduling, adding that selection of six stadiums that hosted matches during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 reflects the anticipated strong fan turnout, ensuring the smallest venue can accommodate at least 40,000 spectators.
The record-breaking attendance at the AFC Asian Cup 2023, 1.5 million fans, further supports this decision.
The organizing committee is finalizing a major promotional campaign, with discussions about a potential Arab tour for the tournament trophy in November 2025.
Al Jassim described the Arab Cup as a significant regional gathering, expected to recreate the vibrant atmosphere of the 2022 World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup, particularly with Qatar's mild weather in November and December, allowing fans to enjoy various accompanying events.
Additionally, talks with FIFA are ongoing regarding the scheduling of the next FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar, planned for 2029.
Al Jassim also touched on the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which Qatar will host from November 3 to 27, confirming that Aspire Academy stadiums will hold the matches, with the final set to take place at Khalifa International Stadium.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Qatar Tribune
2 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
England booed off after shock 3-1 defeat to Senegal
PA Media/dpa London Thomas Tuchel's honeymoon period as England manager is well and truly over as boos greeted Tuesday's shock 3-1 friendly loss to Senegal at the City Ground. Three days after being jeered following a poor World Cup qualification win against minnows Andorra, Tuesday's alarming display raised further questions a year out from their bid for glory in North America. Harry Kane had gotten England off to a fine start against Senegal by continuing his run of scoring in every game under Tuchel, who was critical of his side's efforts in Barcelona and spoke of his desire for the team to play with a smile. But happiness was in short supply in Nottingham, where Anthony Gordon wasted a glorious chance shortly before Ismaila Sarr capitalized on poor defending by debutant Trevoh Chalobah and a sleeping Kyle Walker. Senegal, ranked 19th in the world, were always going to be Tuchel's toughest test since taking charge and Habib Diarra went on to fire through the legs of Dean Henderson, who had made some important saves on his second start. Substitute Jude Bellingham thought he had levelled late on, only for Levi Colwill to be adjudged to have handled upon VAR review, and second-half introduction Cheikh Sabaly added another for the visitors in stoppage time. This was England's first ever defeat to an African side, having gone unbeaten in the previous 21 encounters, and looked possible from the outset with Idrissa Gueye and Nicolas Jackson denied early on by Henderson. But Tuchel's side struck the first blow with just seven minutes on the clock in Nottingham. Eberechi Eze did well to win the ball, with Conor Gallagher helping it wide for Gordon to get away a shot that former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy could only spill into the path of Kane to turn in from six yards. Senegal responded well to that setback, with Henderson denying Diarra from distance before stopping Crystal Palace team-mate Sarr's powerful header. Gordon should have settled England's nerves in the 28th minute by applying the finish Walker's low cross merited, with that glaring miss under pressure at the far post proving costly. Henderson stopped Gueye but poor defending allowed Senegal to level in the 40th minute. Chalobah failed to stop Jackson hooking over a cross that Sarr beat a switched-off Walker to turn home. The rusty-looking right-back was booked for a foul soon after his role in the first goal conceded under Tuchel. England were breathing a sigh of relief five minutes later when Diarra lashed over, with Nottingham Forest favourite Morgan Gibbs-White's introduction bringing a huge cheer. Kane was among those withdrawn as part of that triple change but Ivan Toney was left on the bench, leaving England without an out-and-out striker. Something needed to change from Tuchel's perspective, but unfortunately it was the scoreline. Diarra all too easily got behind left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly and ran on to drill through Henderson from a tight angle in the 62nd minute, sparking wild celebrations from the pockets of Senegal supporters. England were denied an almost immediate leveller as Eze smartly flicked on for Gibbs-White to test Mendy. The pair linked up brilliantly again soon after, with Saka denied expertly by Mendy's right hand. Henderson stopped Jackson scoring from distance and Pape Gueye struck narrowly wide as home fans became increasingly frustrated. England looked to have been rescued in the 84th minute by substitute Bellingham, who took a touch and stabbed home from close range. But referee Stephanie Frappart was sent to the pitchside monitor and ruled the goal out for a handball by Colwill in the build-up. Toney was finally introduced but the only other goal would come from a Senegalese boot as Lamine Camara broke and played across for Sabaly in stoppage time.
Qatar Tribune
2 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Memphis equals Netherlands' record in 8-0 rout of Malta
PAMedia/dpa London Memphis Depay equalled Robin van Persie as the Netherlands' all-time leading men's goalscorer with a brace in an 8-0 thumping of Malta in World Cup qualifying in Groningen. Depay opened the scoring after nine minutes from the spot and then moved level with fellow ex-Manchester United man Van Persie on 50 goals for the Dutch with his strike just after a quarter of an hour. In doing so, Depay matched Van Persie's record after the same number of games - 102 - before Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk fired beyond Henry Bonello from the edge of the box after 20 minutes. Depay teed up Xavi Simons to score after the break while substitutes Donyell Malen struck twice and Noa Lang once before Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven completed the rout as the Dutch made it two wins from two in Group G. At the weekend, the Netherlands won in Finland, who rebounded by beating Poland 2-1 in Helsinki, where there was a lengthy break in play because a supporter had to be treated in the stands. Joel Pohjanpalo scored a penalty and Benjamin Kallman came off the bench to net, Arsenal's Jakub Kiwior pulling one back before a second-half delay. The Football Association of Finland tweeted the fan was taken to hospital, before the final minutes were played just after midnight local time with the hosts holding on to win. Austria claimed back-to-back wins in Group H by sweeping aside minnows San Marino 4-0 in Serravalle thanks to a double from Marko Arnautovic. The veteran Inter Milan forward found the net twice inside the first quarter of an hour, with Michael Gregoritsch also on target, before Christoph Baumgartner completed the rout. Arnautovic missed out on a treble after his late penalty was saved by Edoardo Colombo. Florin Tanase and Dennis Man both struck just before half-time as Romania defeated Cyprus 2-0 in Bucharest. In Group K, England's rivals Serbia claimed a 3-0 win over Andorra in Leskovac thanks to an Aleksandar Mitrovic hat-trick, while Latvia and Albania drew 1-1 in Riga where Latvia's Antonijs Cernomordijs scored for both teams and Janis Ikaunieks missed a penalty.
Qatar Tribune
2 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Coach Popovich proud as Australia qualify; South Korea's Hong hails youngsters
FIFA/AFC/TNN Australia confirmed their place at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in style, securing a 2-1 win in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Japan, meanwhile, bounced back from last week's defeat to the Aussies with a 6-0 hammering of Indonesia. Australia coach Tony Popovich said he was proud of his team's character. Australia have qualified for the showpiece FIFA World Cup for a sixth time. 'We're happy with the win and the automatic qualification. We had a goal before the match, which was to win. I'm proud of the players and the coaching staff. I'm happy and optimistic about what's to come,' Popovich said. 'It'll sink in as the days go by. It's been a very intense period since I've joined, and I've loved it so far. We've done the first part – qualifying automatically – and now the next part is to be bigger and better for the World Cup. So, enjoy a few days, and I'm proud of all the staff and players.' For Saudi Arabia head coach Herve Renard, the defeat at home was a frustrating reminder of his team's struggles in the final third. 'As we expected, we played a strong match against a physically strong team and got off to a strong start with the first goal. At the end of the first half, we conceded a goal in a single shot, and then at the beginning of the second half, we conceded another goal,' Renard said. 'The players responded well after the second goal, and we wasted many opportunities, just as we did in the qualifiers. Our focus now is on October (playoffs). Elsewhere, South Korea ensured they will finish top of Group B by cruising to a 4-0 victory over Kuwait, recently-qualified Uzbekistan impressed again in a 3-0 win at home against Qatar, Iran beat Korea DPR by the same scoreline, and Kyrgyzstan drew 1-1 with United Arab Emirates. The day ended in dramatic fashion, as a last-gasp goal gave Oman a spot in the fourth round in a 1-1 draw with Palestine. South Korea's head coach Hong Myung-bo praised his young team saying, 'This was a really important match for the national team going forward,' Hong said. 'We will have some friendly matches coming up before the World Cup, but today was a great opportunity for our young players to gain experience. And they played so much better than I'd expected. 'No one can predict what will happen over the next year or so, and obviously, we don't have our starting lineup set for the World Cup,' Hong added. 'Some of the veteran players should still form the core of our team, and the key is for some good young players to step up and support those veterans. In that regard, the way we competed today was extremely encouraging.' Five days after they secured a historic maiden World Cup qualification in Abu Dhabi, Uzbekistan returned home to a rapturous welcome in Tashkent. They kept the good times rolling with a slick 3-0 win over Qatar, highlighted by a couple of fine solo goals. The Uzbekistan players and team's suppport staff, ahead of the match, were awarded with electric cars by Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in honour of securing their first-ever FIFA World Cup berth. Qatar, who debuted at FIFA World Cup 2022, have already secured their spot in the fourth round of the AFC Asian Qualifiers for World Cup 2026 (scheduled for October 2025). The six teams from Asia that have moved into the fourth round of qualification stage besides Qatar are Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Asia has been allocated eight direct spots at the World Cup 26 and another potential berth via the FIFA Play-Off Tournament. The third qualifying round group winners and runners-up have advanced to the global finals, while the third and fourth-placed teams will advance to the fourth round, , which will see the teams divided into two groups of three. The top team in each group will qualify for the World Cup , while the second - placed teams will play a continental play-off to seal a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals. While Qatar would have wanted to finish the third round with a win but they remain focused on the fourth round. Qatar's Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui, who began his stint with the Al Annabi with a telling win over Iran last week, had earlier said, 'We'll do everything in our power to give ourselves another shot at qualification in October, which is when the fourth round takes place in Asia. We need to give it our absolute all to give ourselves another chance of qualifying. Let's just hope we've got what it takes. Jordan and Uzbekistan have meanwhile made it to their maiden FIFA World Cup. An Ali Olwan hat-trick piloted the former to a 3-0 win over Oman, while the latter drew with United Arab Emirates. South Korea are also back in the big dance after downing Iraq. Australia, for their part, are on the brink of a sixth successive finals after a late goal sunk Japan.
