The exaggeration in nominating African teams to win the Arab Cup has put psychological pressure on it

Media professionals confirmed that the exaggeration in nominating Arab African teams to win the Arab Cup title held in Qatar put these teams under great psychological pressure, which negatively affected their technical performance and results in the group stage, with the exception of some cases. On the other hand, they described the participation of the West Asian teams that qualified for the World Cup, namely Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar in the first row, as an early and important preparation stage before entering the 2026 World Cup.

The Tunisia team was the first Arab-African team to bid farewell to the tournament, while the Egyptian team is going through difficult circumstances, as it has only two points from two draws, and occupies third place in its group with a weak chance of qualifying. On the other hand, the Algerian and Moroccan teams were able to avoid the pressure of nominations, but with great difficulty.

For his part, Saudi journalist Muhammad Hashboul confirmed that the Saudi team’s participation in the first row was a correct decision, explaining to “Emirates Al-Youm”: “The Arab Cup is a good opportunity to prepare for the next World Cup in 2026, especially for the teams of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and Iraq (if they qualify). As for the Arab African teams, they will benefit from the upcoming African Championship on December 21st.”

He added that those responsible for Saudi football felt remorse for the participation of the second row in the 2021 edition, indicating that the Saudi national team aspires to win the championship, especially since it has not won any title in more than 20 years.

As for Tunisian journalist Ziad Attia, he told “Emirates Al-Youm”: “Most of the Arab African teams did not plan or prepare properly to win the Arab Cup title. The comparison between the West Asian teams that participate in the first row versus the second row of the Arabs of Africa is inaccurate.”

He explained that the teams of Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and others have distinguished professional players, but their preparations were not at the required level, describing the Tunisian team’s exit from the tournament as an unexpected surprise. He added: “Whoever does not participate with his main team has lost an important opportunity to interact and determine readiness.”

For his part, Algerian journalist Mohamed Walid Morjani told “Emirates Al-Youm” that “the many statements nominating Arab-African teams to win the tournament raised the ceiling of expectations exaggeratedly and adversely affected them.”

He stressed that the participation of the teams that qualified for the World Cup, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar, with their basic squads is a useful step, as they benefit from the contact in an official tournament to test readiness, raise the level of harmony, and know the strengths and weaknesses before the World Cup, pointing out that this type of preparation is much better than playing friendly matches.