12 teams participate in the Arab Cup as “primary players”… and the door to competition is open

12 teams out of the 16 participating in the first row in the second edition of the Arab Football Cup, which begins next Monday in the Qatari capital, Doha, and continues until December 18, chose six stadiums previously used in the 2022 World Cup, including Lusail Stadium, which will host the final match.

Although all teams strive to win the title, the motivations for participation seem clearly different, due to unprecedented crowding in the teams’ agenda, which may be reflected in the general technical level of the tournament, as a result of the participation of teams in the first row and others in the second row.

All major Asian Arab teams are participating: the UAE, Qatar (the host), Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Palestine, in addition to the Sudan and Comoros teams.

This wide participation reveals a desire to use the tournament as an actual competitive platform, and not a symbolic occasion, especially as it is an opportunity to measure the readiness of the teams before more complex competitions, especially those that qualify for the World Cup.

The situation of the Iraqi national team seems most clear in this context, as the “Lions of Mesopotamia” enters the tournament as the only Arab representative in the global playoff to qualify for the World Cup, and they are treating it as an early test before the next March confrontation.

The current tournament represents a practical laboratory for Australian coach Graham Arnold to measure the team’s endurance capabilities and implement various plans under the pressure of strong matches, in conditions relatively similar to the playoff atmosphere.

On the other hand, a different approach appears among the Arab African teams, as Algeria (the defending champion), Tunisia (the runner-up), Egypt, and Morocco participate in the second-tier teams, in a decision that reflects overlapping technical and realistic considerations.

The pressure of the calendar emerges as a common factor, with the African Cup of Nations approaching in Morocco at the end of December, a tournament that has the highest priority for the federations for historical and public reasons.

The qualification of the quartet to the World Cup next summer also prompts the technical staff to carefully manage their loads, to avoid fatigue before taking on the “global stage.” The absence of professionals in Europe, due to the tournament not being held during the days of the international break (FIFA D), plays a pivotal role in shaping this approach.

With the participation of the defending champion and the runner-up in the second row, this may restore the traditional balance in Arab football, open the door to unexpected surprises, and give other teams an opportunity to reposition themselves in the scene, without eliminating the possibility of surprises appearing during the tournament.

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Al-Awadi: Big stars will be absent, but the club will not be affected

Sports analyst, Khaled Al-Awadi, expected that the general technical level of the tournament would be affected in light of the participation of some teams in the second round, especially since they are exceptional candidates to compete for the title, similar to the Egyptian, Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan teams, but he confirmed that the competition will be there.

Al-Awadhi told Emirates Al-Youm: “The participation of some in the first team and others in the reserve team will change the format of the tournament, as some of the big stars will be absent from the competition, but on the other hand, the club will not be affected, because it exists among the Arab teams.”

Al-Awadhi praised the Football Association’s decision to participate with the first team, saying: “The vision will be clear after the end of the tournament about whether we will continue to blame coach Olario Cosmin at the technical level, or whether there are aspects that need time to build the future.”

He added: “We will find out through this tournament whether Kuzmin is the man for the next stage, especially since the team has qualifications in the Asian Cup and the Gulf Championship. The coach had all the tools available to him, but some excuses and arguments were made for him regarding the team entering a new phase with a new coach, but in my estimation, his choices were not consistent, which caused the loss of the opportunity to compete for qualification to the World Cup.” Regarding the possibility of new stars appearing in the current version of the tournament, Al-Awadhi explained: “The emergence of players.” New ones are available for the teams participating in the reserve team, and they may attract attention and become part of the main teams in the future, while the rest of the teams participate with the same names.

. The motives for participating in the tournament seem clearly different, due to unprecedented crowding in the teams’ agenda.

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