FIFA announced the qualifying schedule for the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup which will be hosted by Qatar later this year.
Seven qualifying matches will be played between the 19th and 25th of June.
The tournament will bring together 16 Arab national teams and will provide the 2022 FIFA World Cup organizers with an opportunity to test their preparations a year before the big event.
23 sides were invited to take part in the tournament, but with only 16 available slots in the group stage, the 14 lowest-ranked teams in the FIFA World Ranking have to go through a single-leg playoff with the winners joining the top-ranked nine sides: Qatar, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE and Syria.
The final tournament is set to be played between November 30th and December 18th, 2021.
2021 FIFA Arab Cup Qualification Matches
19 June 2021 – Libya vs Sudan
20 June 2021 – Oman vs. Somalia
21 June 2021 – Jordan vs South Sudan
22 June 2021 – Mauritania vs Yemen
23 June 2021 – Lebanon vs Djibouti
24 June 2021 – Palestine vs Comoros
25 June 2021 – Bahrain vs Kuwait
2021 FIFA Arab Cup Groups
Group A
Qatar
Iraq
Winner of Oman vs. Somalia
Winner of Bahrain vs. Kuwait
Group B
Tunisia
UAE
Syria
Winner of Mauritania vs. Yemen
Group C
Morocco
Saudi Arabia
Winner of Jordan vs. South Sudan
Winner of Palestine vs. Comoros
Group D
Algeria
Egypt
Winner of Lebanon vs. Djibouti
Winner of Libya vs. Sudan