Arab football is entering a historic phase with the 2026 World Cup

Arab football is preparing to write a new chapter in its football history with the 2026 World Cup, where eight Arab teams qualified for the finals, an unprecedented record. This historic moment is not just a digital presence, but rather reflects the accumulation of experiences and achievements over decades, and confirms that Arab football has become a force to be reckoned with on the global scene. From Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Tunisia to Algeria and Egypt, and even less visible teams such as Kuwait, Iraq, the Emirates and Qatar, all carry a story of struggle and ambition, and an experience that earned them the ability to compete at the highest level.

Eight Arab teams succeeded in reserving their places in the 2026 World Cup finals, in a historic achievement for the first time, as Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, and Qatar qualified.

The teams of Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Tunisia top the list of Arab participation, with 6 participations each, which reflects their continuity on the global stage. The Algerian national team has 4 participations, while the Egyptian national team has registered its presence in only 3 copies, despite being the first Arab team to participate in the World Cup in 1934. As for the Kuwaiti, Iraq, Emirati and Qatar national teams, they have been limited to one participation for each so far.

The long absences reflect the extent of the challenges that some teams went through; He missed Egypt for 56 years between two participations (1934-1990), then another 28 years until his return in 2018. He also missed Algeria for 24 years, and Morocco and Tunisia for 20 years each. Continuing absences continue to haunt some teams, such as Kuwait (1982), Iraq (1986) and the UAE (1990), waiting for the 2026 edition to reappear.

In terms of matches, Morocco tops the list of Arab teams that have played the most matches with 23 matches, followed by Saudi Arabia (19), Tunisia (18) and Algeria (13). Morocco also excels in victories with 5 matches, including 3 in the 2022 edition, while Saudi Arabia achieved 4 victories, and Algeria and Tunisia achieved 3 victories each. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia tops the list of Arab teams most likely to lose with 13 matches, followed by Morocco (11) and Tunisia (10).

The Arab teams recorded historic moments, most notably: Algeria’s victory over Germany in 1982, Saudi Arabia over Argentina in 2022, Tunisia over France in 2022, and Morocco over Spain in 2022, confirming that the Arab teams are no longer just guests of honor, but are capable of competing against the greats of the game.

In terms of goals, Morocco tops the list of Arab teams by scoring 20 goals, followed by Saudi Arabia and Tunisia with 14 goals each, and Algeria with 13 goals. Morocco also stands out in keeping a clean sheet with 7 matches, while Saudi Arabia conceded the largest number of goals (44), which reflects the defensive challenges faced by the “Greens”.

With the 2026 World Cup, there is an opportunity to change history. Previous experiences and the great development in the level of players and infrastructure give Arab teams a real opportunity to achieve unprecedented achievements and write a new chapter in the history of Arab football.