FIFA Arab Cup 2025: A World Cup 2026 audition for Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to be held in the US, Canada and Mexico next summer, is set to be a 48-team World Cup which has seen a total of eight countries from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualify. 

Among those eight are three Arab nations as well - Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. 

Interestingly, there could be a ninth Asian team (and fourth Arab nation) to make it the global showpiece. Iraq have currently made it to the Inter-confederation play-offs where they will take on Bolivia or Suriname for a spot in the World Cup. 

And for all of these teams, the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 which will kickoff on 1st December 2025, assumes huge significance. The tournament will offer a competitive platform with world class infrastructure where they can test their readiness for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

For Iraq, even more so, as the Inter-confederation play-off is scheduled for March 31 and this could well be their final preparatory event. 

Qatar, the two-time reigning Asian champions, have made it to the FIFA World Cup for the second time running. If they did so in 2022 automatically as the hosts (though they were the 2019 Asian Cup winners), this time they did so by coming through the AFC 2026 World Cup qualifiers. 

Under former Spain and Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui's guidance, the Maroons reached the fourth round of the AFC World Cup qualifiers and then topped their group to seal a spot in the ultimate global showpiece. 

They will now hope to use the FIFA Arab Cup 2025, where they are grouped with the likes of Tunisia, Syria and Palestine to prove their readiness for the World Cup. 

Though star striker Almoez Ali is currently recuperating from an injury, the likes of Akram Afif and Edmilson Junior will hope to improve upon the hosts' fourth-placed finish in the 2021 edition of the Arab Cup.

Saudi Arabia will definitely be a force to reckon with in the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 and will hope to strengthen their credentials as a rising powerhouse with deep run in Qatar. 

Saudi, who stunned the world with an upset win over Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, qualified for the 2026 edition by winning their AFC World Cup 2026 fourth qualifiers group. 

Herve Renard's side are grouped with Morocco, Oman and Comoros in Group B of the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup and are expected to progress past the group stage, something that they failed to do in 2021 FIFA Arab Cup. 

With the likes of Mohammed Kanno and Salem Al Dawsari in their ranks, they will hope to serve a reminder in Qatar about their ability to pull off great wins, something they will hope will hold them in good stead ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Jordan have proved themselves as a strong Asian team over the last few years and cemented that by sealing their spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer. 

In fact, they sealed their spot in the US, Canada and Mexico in the third round of the AFC World Cup qualifiers itself. Jamal Sellami's side finished second in a group that contained the likes of South Korea, Iraq, Oman, Palestine and Kuwait. 

They were the runners-up in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup and also had reached the quarter-finals of the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup. 

The likes of Yazan Al Naimat and Ali Olwan will hope to make sure the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup is a memorable one for them, and serves as a great tune-up ahead of their first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance next summer. They are grouped with Egypt, UAE and Kuwait in the tournament which starts on Monday.

Iraq will have plenty to prove in Qatar during the FIFA Arab Cup 2025. 

The team know that this is their last chance to prepare themselves before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Inter-confederation play-offs in March that will determine whether they make it to the World Cup next year. 

Iraq are grouped alongside defending champs Algeria, Bahrain and Sudan at the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup and will hope to make it to the knockout stages, led by the likes of Jalal Hassan and Aymen Hussein.