The Qatar Football Association and the International Football Association (FIFA) announced the organization of an international championship for Arab teams in Doha late next year, to be an important stop on the road to preparing for the 2022 World Cup.
During a videoconference meeting, Hassan Al-Thawadi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, President of the 2022 World Cup, presented the tournament proposal to FIFA Council members who expressed support for organizing the proposed tournament.
The tournament will witness the competition of men's soccer teams from 22 Arab countries from the continents of Africa and Asia, and the tournament competitions will be held in dates that do not contradict with the calendar of the International Federation for International Matches, and will provide an opportunity for the organizers to take advantage of the facilities designated for the World Cup Qatar.
The Arab Championship competitions will take place between 1 and 18 December 2021, i.e. within the same period that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 matches will take place, and the final match will be held exactly one year before the first World Cup final in the Arab world.
The Qatar Football Association, @ roadto2022news, and @fifacom_ar announced that Qatar will host the Arab League Championship next year, which was approved by the FIFA Council in its meeting today. We look forward to welcoming the encouraging players from the Arab teams participating in the stadiums of the # 2022 Qatar Championship.
- Qatar Football Association from 25 (@QFA) June 25, 2020
It is scheduled to host the championship matches 7 out of 8 stadiums dedicated to the World Cup 2022, which are the Khalifa International Stadium, the South Stadium, the Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, and Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, with a capacity of 40 thousand seats each, in addition to the stadium with a capacity of 60 thousand seats.
In addition to taking advantage of the stadiums and training sites for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the upcoming Arab Championship is an important opportunity for the fans, players and officials of the participating teams to use the facilities of the host country for the next edition of the World Cup, including transportation and accommodation facilities.
"The new championship is a very important station for our country and the region, and everyone who participates in organizing it, and an opportunity to gain important experiences on the road towards hosting the most prominent international event in the world of football on the soil of Qatar in 2022," said the president of the Qatar Football Association, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani. ".
For his part, Al-Thawadi explained that "Qatar hosted many events since its victory to host the World Cup in 2010, but this tournament will be the largest in terms of the number of participating teams, and will represent a wonderful opportunity to use the facilities and services of the World Cup before 2022."
More details of the Arab teams participating in the tournament and the competition schedule are to be announced later. The tournament will be organized by the Qatar World Cup 2022 team, with the support of the Qatar Football Association, FIFA and the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.