2012 Arab Nations Cup facts for kids
| كأس العرب 2012 ' | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Saudi Arabia |
| Dates | 22 June – 6 July |
| Teams | 11 (from 2 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Morocco (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Libya |
| Third place |  Iraq |
| Fourth place |  Saudi Arabia |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 19 |
| Goals scored | 47 (2.47 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Yassine Salhi (6) |
The 2012 Arab Nations Cup was a big football tournament for Arab countries. It was the 10th time this competition was held. The games took place in Saudi Arabia from June 22 to July 6, 2012. Teams from across the Arab world came together to compete. Morocco won the tournament. They beat Libya in the final match to become champions.
Contents
How the Tournament Worked
The 2012 Arab Nations Cup had two main parts: the group stage and the knockout stage. Teams first played in groups. The best teams then moved on to the knockout rounds.
Group Stage: First Round of Games
In the group stage, teams were divided into smaller groups. Each team played against the other teams in its group. Points were given for wins and draws. The teams with the most points moved forward.
Group A Teams and Results
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 4 |
| 2 |  Kuwait |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | –2 | 3 |
| 3 |  Palestine |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | –2 | 1 |
Here are the scores from the matches in Group A:
| 22 June 2012 | ||
| Saudi Arabia |
4–0 | Kuwait |
| 25 June 2012 | ||
| Kuwait |
2–0 | Palestine |
| 28 June 2012 | ||
| Saudi Arabia |
2–2 | Palestine |
Group B Teams and Results
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morocco |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | +8 | 7 |
| 2 | Libya |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 |
| 3 |  Yemen |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | –4 | 3 |
| 4 |  Bahrain |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | –7 | 0 |
Here are the scores from the matches in Group B:
| 23 June 2012 | ||
| Morocco |
4–0 | Bahrain |
| Libya |
3–1 | Yemen |
| 26 June 2012 | ||
| Bahrain |
0–2 | Yemen |
| Libya |
0–0 | Morocco |
| 29 June 2012 | ||
| Libya |
2–1 | Bahrain |
| Yemen |
0–4 | Morocco |
Group C Teams and Results
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iraq |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 7 |
| 2 |  Sudan |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 |
| 3 |  Egypt U23 |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | –1 | 2 |
| 4 |  Lebanon |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | –3 | 1 |
Here are the scores from the matches in Group C:
| 24 June 2012 | ||
| Iraq |
1–0 | Lebanon |
| Egypt U23 |
1–1 | Sudan |
| 27 June 2012 | ||
| Lebanon |
0–2 | Sudan |
| Iraq |
2–1 | Egypt U23 |
| 30 June 2012 | ||
| Egypt U23 |
1–1 | Lebanon |
| Sudan |
1–1 | Iraq |
Best Second-Place Teams
After the group stage, the team that finished second in their group with the best record also got to move on. This table shows how the second-place teams compared:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Libya |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 |
| 2 | Sudan |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 |
| 3 | Kuwait |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | –2 | 3 |
Knockout Stage: The Finals Begin
The knockout stage is where the competition gets really exciting! Teams play single matches. If a team loses, they are out of the tournament. The winners keep playing until only two teams are left for the final.
Tournament Bracket
This bracket shows how the teams played in the semi-finals and the final match.
| Semifinals | Final | ||||||
| 3 July - Jeddah | |||||||
| Saudi Arabia |
0 | ||||||
| Libya |
2 | ||||||
| 6 July - Jeddah | |||||||
| Libya |
1 (1) | ||||||
| Morocco (p) |
1 (3) | ||||||
| Third place | |||||||
| 3 July - Jeddah | 5 July - Jeddah | ||||||
| Morocco |
2 | Saudi Arabia |
0 | ||||
| Iraq |
1 | Iraq |
1 | ||||
| 2012 Arab Nations Cup Winners |
|---|
 Morocco 1st title |
Final Standings
After all the games, here's how the teams ranked based on their performance in the tournament. Morocco came in first place, winning the cup!
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morocco |
5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 11 |
| 2 | Libya |
5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 11 |
| 3 | Iraq |
5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 10 |
| 4 | Saudi Arabia |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4 |
| Eliminated in the Group stage | |||||||||
| 5 | Sudan |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 |
| 6 | Kuwait |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | –2 | 3 |
| 7 | Yemen |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | –4 | 3 |
| 8 | Egypt U23 |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | –1 | 2 |
| 9 | Palestine |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | –2 | 1 |
| 10 | Lebanon |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | –3 | 1 |
| 11 | Bahrain |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | –7 | 0 |
See also
In Spanish: Copa de Naciones Árabe 2012 para niños
