Katara Cultural VillageSC

Qatar all set to host the draw for 2021 FIFA Arab Cup on April 27

Countdown to the first-ever FIFA Arab Cup is all set to begin on April 27 when Qatar hosts the draw for the tournament at Katara Opera House in Doha. 

The draw for the tournament, which will act as a prelude for the 2022 World Cup, will be held at 9pm local time on Tuesday. The draw will be attended by a limited number of attendees, in line with the existing Covid-19 protocols.

The Arab Cup will be contested by 23 Arab countries belonging to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The tournament is set to start on 1 December 2021 and the final will be held on 18 December 2021, exactly one year before the 2022 World Cup final. The date also marks Qatar's national day.

The Arab Cup will be played in six venues in Qatar, all developed and built for the 2022 World Cup, and hence is seen as a vital opportunity to rest the operational readiness of Qatar and their advanced infrastructure facilities which feature the stadium cooling tech. 

The FIFA Confederations Cup, which normally is played an year before the World Cup, will not be hosted this time around and the Arab Cup is seen as a replacement. 

Al Rayyan stadium QatarSC

It must be noted that the 2022 World Cup will feature eight venues in total. Six of these venues will play hosts for the Arab Cup. 

Qatar have already thrown open four venues for the 2022 World Cup while the work at the rest are progressing on schedule. 

The 23 nations participating in the FIFA Arab Cup are: Qatar (host nation), Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

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