Palestine players attend a training session.
Doha, Qatar: The road to FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 reaches a crucial point this week as seven one-off qualification matches will decide the remaining places in the 16-team FIFA Arab Cup.
With the spotlight on today’s fixtures, Palestine’s meeting with Libya at Thani bin Jassim Stadium stands out as the biggest clash of the round. The winners will move into the main tournament, while the losers will see their journey end early.
Palestine arrive in Doha with confidence after a valuable training camp in Spain, where they faced strong regional sides from Catalonia and the Basque Country.
Before that, they produced one of their most impressive results in recent years by beating defending Arab Cup champions Algeria 1-0.
Head coach Ihab Abu Jazar believes his team is ready for the challenge ahead.
“We are striving to deliver our best performance against the Libyan national team,” he said yesterday.
“We are looking forward to securing a victory in order to qualify for the group stage. If we manage to do that, it will mean a lot to us.”
Libya, however, enter the match with strong preparation of their own. They beat Mauritania 1–0 last week and also held World Cup-bound Cabo Verde to a draw. With forward Ezzeddin El Maremi in excellent form having scored in four of Libya’s last six matches they pose a serious threat.
Their coach, Aliou Cisse, said his players are ready for the fight: “Our players are fully prepared to face Palestine. Our goal is to achieve victory and qualify for the next round. The task is not easy, but our preparations have been good.”
Before the night’s main event, the qualifiers begin in the afternoon at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, where Mauritania face Kuwait at 4pm. Mauritania coach Aritz Garai has called on experienced European-based players Lamine Ba and Bakari Camara, while young midfielder Maata Magassa adds creativity.
Kuwait, guided by new coach Helio Sousa, enter the match after a strong camp in Cairo that included a win over Tanzania and a draw with Gambia. It will be Sousa’s first competitive match in charge, adding extra interest to the tie.
The other match today takes place at Grand Hamad Stadium, where Syria meet South Sudan. Syria are in excellent form under coach Jose Lana, losing only once this year and coming off a commanding 5–0 win over Pakistan in an Asian Cup qualifier.
Even without several European-based players, the presence of Omar Khrbin and winger Mohammad Al Salkhadi gives them attacking power. South Sudan, still searching for their first win of 2025, will be eager to take a big step forward after drawing with Togo last month.
Having been forced to withdraw from the 2021 qualifiers because of a Covid outbreak, the world’s youngest nation is determined to make its mark.
Tomorrow’s matches will complete the qualification picture. At Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Oman face Somalia at 4pm, while at the same time Bahrain and Djibouti meet again at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium. The evening games see Comoros take on Yemen at Grand Hamad Stadium, and Sudan meet Lebanon at Thani bin Jassim Stadium.
The Arab Cup group stage will get underway on December 1.
FIFA Arab Cup Qualifiers
Today
Mauritania v Kuwait, 4pm; Jassim bin Hamad Stadium
Syria v South Sudan, 7pm; Grand Hamad Stadium
Palestine v Libya, 7pm; Thani bin Jassim Stadium
Tomorrow
Oman v Somalia, 4pm; Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium
Bahrain v Djibouti, 4pm; Jassim bin Hamad Stadium
Comoros v Yemen, 7pm; Grand Hamad Stadium
Sudan v Lebanon, 7pm; Thani bin Jassim Stadium
