The Arab Cup final calls for “Al-Abyad”

At 6:30 pm today, at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, the national football team will play a historic confrontation against its counterpart, the Moroccan national team, in the semi-finals of the 2026 Arab Cup, hosted by Qatar.

This match is considered one of the most prominent stations in the national team’s journey, which is looking forward to achieving a new surprise and reaching the final match, and compensating for its fans’ recent failure by not qualifying for the 2026 World Cup finals, as seriousness, fighting spirit and determination represent the players’ most prominent weapons in this decisive confrontation.

“Al-Abyad” plans to repeat the scenario of its last match against the Algerian national team, the defending champion, by achieving victory and obtaining the qualification ticket to the final, in a historic achievement recorded for the first time in the team’s participation in the tournament.

“Al-Abyad” completed all its preparations for the confrontation, amid high morale and great seriousness from the players, supported by the positive results it achieved during its journey in the tournament, the most prominent of which was the historic victory over the Algerian national team, one of the strongest candidates to win the title for the second time in a row.

It is expected that the coach, Olario Cosmin, will rely on the same formation with which he played against Algeria.

The match is expected to witness a lot of excitement and competition, in addition to the quality that both teams enjoy in their ranks, as they hope to come one step closer to crowning the title, when they play at Lusail Stadium.

On the other hand, the UAE national team aspires to record its first appearance in the Arab Cup final, during its third participation in the competition, after the 1998 and 2021 editions, especially in light of the increasing performance of its players.

The UAE national team advanced to the knockout stage, after coming in second place in the third group standings with only four points, as it began its journey with a 1-2 loss to its Jordanian counterpart, before drawing 1-1 with the Egyptian national team, then achieving a major 3-1 victory over the Kuwaiti national team.

In the quarter-finals, the UAE team overcame the Algerian team (the defending champion), after defeating them on penalties, after the original and extra time ended in a 1-1 draw.

During its journey towards the semi-finals, the players of the (white) team scored six goals, which highlights its offensive effectiveness, but it was not as strong on the defensive level, with five goals conceded.

The UAE national team, led by Romanian coach Olario Cosmin, has a number of stars in various lines, such as Yahya Al-Ghassani, Nicolas Jimenez, Ali Nader, and goalkeeper Hamad Al-Muqbali, to whom the team owes much credit for seizing the nomination paper for the semi-finals, after his remarkable brilliance against the Algerian national team.

For its part, the Moroccan national team rose to the semi-finals in the tournament, where it sat at the top of the standings of Group Two with seven points, after winning 3-0 over the Comoros and 1-0 over Saudi Arabia, while drawing without goals with the national team of the Sultanate of Oman, to face its Syrian counterpart in the quarter-finals and beat them 1-0.

While the Moroccan national team scored five goals during its tournament in the tournament, it conceded one goal, topping the list of the competition’s most solid defensive teams, which is something that Tariq Sektiwi, coach of the Atlas Lions, is counting on.

The Moroccan national team is searching for its second title in the Arab Cup, after previously topping the podium in 2012 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Moroccan national team includes many players capable of making a difference in the match, led by Karim El-Barkaoui, Tarek Tissoudali, Sofiane Bouftini, Amin Zahzouh, and Oussama Tannan.