Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Jordan: FIFA Arab Cup 2025 semifinalists boost World Cup 2026 credentials with strong showing in Qatar

The semifinals of the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 is upon us. The exciting tournament has reached its last leg in Qatar and fans are eagerly anticipating the semifinal matchups, set to be held on Monday. 

The first semifinal (kick off at 5:30 pm local time) will see Morocco take on the United Arab Emirates at the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan. The second semifinal will see Jordan pit their wits against Saudi Arabia (kick off at 8:30 pm local time) at the Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor.

As fans anticipate the two exciting games on Monday, what is more interesting is the fact that three of the four semifinalists - Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Jordan - have all qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to be held in the US, Mexico and Canada next summer. 

And these Arab countries have proved their mettle and readiness for the global showpiece with a strong showing in Qatar.

Qatar has been a very happy hunting ground for Morocco of late. They had a dream run to the semifinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, held in Qatar, where they were only beaten narrowly by France. 

And building on those happy memories, the Atlas Lions have reached yet another FIFA semifinals in Qatar - this time at the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup.

Though the squad was made up of their second choice players with most of their regulars playing the AFCON which begins next week, it augurs well for Morocco that their team have given a great account in Qatar and stand a chance of winning the Arab Cup.

They came through a tight group which included Saudi Arabia and defeated a strong Syria in the quarterfinals. Now, they will hope to prevail over the UAE on Monday and reach the final of the Arab Cup. In the process, boost their confidence ahead of the AFCON and the World Cup next year with the fans secure in the knowledge that they have very good options in their second team.

Saudi Arabia probably had the result of their lifetime in Qatar, three years back, when they upset Argentina in their opening game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. 

It was a stunning result for the Green Falcons and reverberated throughout the footballing world. Saudi Arabia have continued to reassert their ability to compete on the biggest stage of the game by qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They are placed in a group that contains Spain, Uruguay and Cape Verde. 

The Asian giants will need to be at their best to qualify from this group and judging by their performance in Qatar during the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup, they are ready. Herve Renard's side came through a tight group that contained Morocco and Oman before beating an inspired Palestine team in the quarterfinals.

They have Jordan in their sights next. Saudi Arabia will hope to make it through to the final and boost their confidence ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup next year.

Jordan's stock in Asian football has been on a steady rise over the last few years. They had a breakthrough run to the quarterfinals in the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, also held in Qatar. Then they reached the final of the 2023 Asian Cup, which was held in Qatar, and were beaten by the hosts. 

Following that, Jordan qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup - marking the first time ever the nation has reached the global showpiece finals. 

And now, the team have asserted their credentials as a side with the ability to compete at any level by reaching the last four stage of the FIFA Arab Cup 2025, once again in Qatar. They topped a group that included UAE, Egypt and Kuwait before getting the better of Iraq in the quarterfinals. 

As they prepare for their debut World Cup, nothing would be better than reaching the final of the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 six months before the World Cup starts.