FIFA Arab Cup facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
FIFA Arab Cup

Organising body	UAFA (1985–2012) FIFA (2021–present)
Founded	1963; 61 years ago (1963)
Region	Arab world
Number of teams	16 (finals)
Current champions	Algeria (1st title)
Most successful team(s)	Iraq (4 titles)

The FIFA Arab Cup (Arabic: كأس العرب, romanized: Kaʾs al-ʿArab), or Arab Cup, is an international association football competition organized by FIFA. It is held every four years with the participation of senior men's national teams of the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA), the governing body for countries in the Arab world. The current champion is Algeria, which won its first title at the 2021 tournament in Qatar.

The championship's inaugural edition was in 1963, held in Lebanon, which was won by Tunisia. After having been played in 1964 and 1966, the Arab Cup was halted for almost 20 years, before being contested in 1985. The tournament was played five more times until 2012, the last competition organized by the UAFA. The 2021 edition was the first organized by FIFA.

The ten Arab Cup tournaments have been won by six national teams. Iraq have won four times; the other Arab Cup winners are Saudi Arabia, with two titles; Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and inaugural winner Tunisia, with one title each.

Seven countries have hosted the Arab Cup. Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have each hosted twice, while Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Syria have each hosted once. All Arab Cups have been held in Asia.

History

The initial idea for the conception of an Arab Cup came in 1957 from Lebanese journalist Nassif Majdalani and the Secretary General of the Lebanese Football Association (LFA) Izzat Al Turk. In 1962, the LFA called for the formal establishment of the tournament through their president Georges Dabbas, who organised a general Arab assembly for the formation of the Arab Cup. The first Arab Cup was held in Beirut between April and May 1963, with the participation of five teams.

During the 16-year hiatus between 1966 and 1982, the Arab Cup was de facto replaced by the Palestine Cup, which was held three times in the 1970s and then became a youth tournament after the return of the Arab Cup in the 1980s. The 1992 Arab Cup was also organised as part of the 1992 Arab Games.

The 2021 edition was the first edition to be organised by FIFA; the competition was renamed FIFA Arab Cup. Following the 2021 final, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that FIFA would continue to oversee future editions. On 15 May 2024, FIFA announced that Qatar will host the tournament in 2025, 2029 and 2033, and the tournament will follow the principle of an invitational competition not included in the International Match Calendar.

Results

Keys

• a.e.t.: after extra time
• p: penalty shoot-out
• awd: awarded result.
• TBD: to be determined.

Ed.	Year	Host		First place game				Third place game			Teams
				01 Champion	Score	02 Runner-up		03 Third place	Score	Fourth place
Arab Cup
1	1963	Lebanon		Tunisia		Syria		Lebanon		Kuwait	5
2	1964	Kuwait		Iraq		Libya		Kuwait		Lebanon	5
3	1966	Iraq		Iraq	2–1	Syria		Libya	6–1	Lebanon	10
4	1985	Saudi Arabia		Iraq	1–0	Bahrain		Saudi Arabia	0–0 (aet) (4–1 p)	Qatar	6
5	1988	Jordan		Iraq	1–1 (aet) (4–3 p)	Syria		Egypt	2–0	Jordan	10
6	1992	Syria		Egypt	3–2	Saudi Arabia		Kuwait	2–1	Syria	6
7	1998	Qatar		Saudi Arabia	3–1	Qatar		Kuwait	4–1	United Arab Emirates	12
8	2002	Kuwait		Saudi Arabia	1–0 (aet)	Bahrain		Jordan and  Morocco			10
–	2009	Edition cancelled during qualification due to lack of sponsorship
9	2012	Saudi Arabia		Morocco	1–1 (aet) (3–1 p)	Libya		Iraq	1–0	Saudi Arabia	11
FIFA Arab Cup
10	2021	Qatar		Algeria	2–0 (aet)	Tunisia		Qatar	0–0 (aet) (5–4 p)	Egypt	16
11	2025			TBD				TBD			TBD
12	2029			TBD				TBD
13	2033			TBD				TBD

Teams reaching the top four

Teams reaching the top four

Team	Winners	Runners-up	Third place	Fourth place	Semi final	Total
Iraq	4 (1964, 1966*, 1985, 1988)	—	1 (2012)	—	—	5
Saudi Arabia	2 (1998, 2002)	1 (1992)	1 (1985*)	1 (2012*)	—	5
Tunisia	1 (1963)	1 (2021)	—	—	—	2
Egypt	1 (1992)	—	1 (1988)	1 (2021)	—	3
Morocco	1 (2012)	—	1 (2002*)	—	2
Algeria	1 (2021)	—	—	—	—	1
Syria	—	3 (1963, 1966, 1988)	—	1 (1992*)	—	4
Libya	—	2 (1964, 2012)	1 (1966)	—	—	3
Bahrain	—	2 (1985, 2002)	—	—	—	2
Qatar	—	1 (1998*)	1 (2021*)	1 (1985)	—	3
Kuwait	—	—	3 (1964*, 1992, 1998)	1 (1963)	—	4
Lebanon	—	—	1 (1963*)	2 (1964, 1966)	—	3
Jordan	—	—	—	1 (1988*)	1 (2002)	2
United Arab Emirates	—	—	—	1 (1998)	—	1

* hosts

Best performances by confederations

Records and statistics

Comprehensive team results by tournament

Legend

For each tournament, the number of teams in each finals tournament are shown (in parentheses).

Team	1963 (5)	1964 (5)	1966 (10)	1985 (6)	1988 (10)	1992 (6)	1998 (12)	2002 (10)	2012 (11)	2021 (16)	2025 (...)	Total
Algeria	×	×	×	×	GS	×	GS	×	×	1st		3
Bahrain	×	×	GS	2nd	GS	×	×	2nd	GS	GS		6
Egypt	×	×	×	×	3rd	1st	GS	×	GS	4th		5
Iraq	×	1st	1st	1st	1st	×	×	×	3rd	GS		6
Jordan	GS	GS	GS	GS	4th	GS	GS	SF	×	QF		9
Kuwait	4th	3rd	GS	×	GS	3rd	3rd	GS	GS	•		8
Lebanon	3rd	4th	4th	×	GS	×	GS	GS	GS	GS		8
Libya	×	2nd	3rd	×	×	×	GS	×	2nd	•		4
Mauritania	×	×	×	GS	•	×	×	×	×	GS		2
Morocco	×	×	×	×	×	×	GS	SF	1st	QF		4
Oman	×	×	GS	×	×	×	×	×	×	QF		2
[[Palestinian National Authority {{{altlink}}}|Palestinian National Authority]]	×	×	GS	×	×	GS	•	GS	GS	GS		5
Qatar	×	×	×	4th	×	×	2nd	×	×	3rd	Q	4
Saudi Arabia	×	×	×	3rd	GS	2nd	1st	1st	4th	GS		7
Sudan	×	×	×	•	×	×	GS	GS	GS	GS		4
Syria	2nd	×	2nd	×	2nd	4th	GS	GS	×	GS		7
Tunisia	1st	×	×	×	GS	×	×	×	×	2nd		3
United Arab Emirates	×	×	×	×	×	×	4th	×	×	QF		2
Yemen	×	×	GS	×	×	×	×	GS	GS	•		3
Team	1963 (5)	1964 (5)	1966 (10)	1985 (6)	1988 (10)	1992 (6)	1998 (12)	2002 (10)	2012 (11)	2021 (16)	2025 (...)	Total

See also

• Arab Women's Cup
• Football at the Arab Games
• WAFF Championship
• Arabian Gulf Cup
• Arab Club Champions Cup
• AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League