Football is a sport that is played 11 against 11 and in the end, the Maghreb wins.

North African teams showed their superiority in the Arab Football Cup in Qatar, ending with a final between Tunisia and Algeria on Saturday (December 18th).

A final that is a repetition one year from that of the World Cup organized in this Gulf emirate.

The two teams won in extremis in the semi-finals against two behemoths of the round ball in the region, Tunisia victorious against Egypt (1-0) and Algeria having pushed the host country towards the exit (2 -1).

The Eagles of Carthage and the Fennecs, reigning African champions, will meet in the final on Saturday in the coastal town of Al-Khor, the two selections having, like most teams, been cut off from their international stars.

The Algerians, who have not lost a game during the competition, had to do without Manchester City attacking midfielder Riyad Mahrez, while the Tunisians played without Saint-Etienne striker Wahbi Khazri.

😍 The #FIFArabCup



🏆 Tunisia 🆚 Algeria 🏆



🤔 Which team will take this trophy tomorrow ❓pic.twitter.com / Nn97M49jHa

- World Cup 🏆 (@fifaworldcup_fr) December 17, 2021

"It's a brother country, a very experienced team. In all competitions, they are still in the semi-finals and finals, so they have this experience of going far," said Algerian coach Madjid Bougherra.

"It's going to be a great derby. I think Algeria is the team that (faced) the biggest teams during the tournament, and inchallah, if we go to the end, it will be very, very deserved," he said. he added during a press conference after the semi-final against Qatar.

"It's a pleasure that the Maghreb teams are today the strongest in the Arab world," he said.

The tournament took place in six of the eight stadiums that will host matches in 2022, with the final taking place on Qatar's National Day and one year to the day before the World Cup final.

Qatar will face Egypt earlier on Saturday for third place in the first FIFA-sponsored Arab Cup.

With AFP

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