Daily fantasy game, greater attendance and more: What we can expect from FIFA Arab Cup 2025 compared to 2021 edition?

The FIFA Arab Cup got a new lease of life in 2021 when it came under the aegis of FIFA after a hiatus of about nine years. As part of Qatar's preparations to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Middle-East nation championed the Arab Cup as an excellent opportunity to announce their readiness for the main event in 2022.

Safe to say, the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup was a great success and showcased Qatar's infrastructure for the World Cup next year.

Fast forward to 2025, the FIFA Arab Cup continues to be backed by Qatar and has now become an established tournament within the FIFA calendar. In fact, the 2029 and 2033 editions of the Arab Cup will also be held in Qatar. 

And the tournament's profile has increased, so has various factors around it. The 2025 edition promises to be bigger and better. How much bigger? Let's take a look.

One of the most interesting changes for the 2025 edition of the FIFA Arab Cup has been the introduction of a Daily Fantasy Game for fans.

The 2021 edition did not have such a competition that engaged the fans with the action on the pitch. 

This year, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the FIFA Arab Cup has introduced a Daily Fantasy Challenge for fans where they can pick a team of seven players from teams that are playing on a matchday. Fantasy game managers can score points based on real-time performance of their selected players. Topscoring fans can win attractive prizes every day including match tickets for the Arab Cup.

It is a feature that elevates fan experience around the tournament while ensuring they are engaged with the FIFA Arab Cup 2025. The fantasy game is available on the PlayZone tab of the FIFA app and is free to play for all fans.

The 2025 edition of the FIFA Arab Cup is expected to attract a large number of fans, certainly a higher number compared to the 2021 edition. 

However, that is due to the fact that the 2021 edition was held during the Covid-19 pandemic which obviously resulted in a lower number of fans. Over 630000 tickets were sold despite these challenges during the 2021 edition. 

However, with no such challenges for the 2025 edition, expect an ever greater numbers in terms of attendances this time around in Qatar.

If the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup was all about proclaiming Qatar's readiness for the 2022 World Cup, the 2025 edition is much more than that. 

Four years later, the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 has become a key part of a narrative that Qatar have been building with its continued organisation of key tournaments and competitions over the past few years. 

Qatar have more or less become one of the sporting hubs in the world and the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 is a statement of intent that proclaims the same. 

In fact, the country is hosting three FIFA tournaments within a span of two months. It started with the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup in November and will be followed by the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup and the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup. And all these events will showcase Qatar's world class stadiums and infrastructure - further highlighting their ability as world-class sporting hosts.