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FIFA Arab Cup facts for kids

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FIFA Arab Cup
Arab Cup icon.png
Organising body UAFA (1985–2012)
FIFA (2021–present)
Founded 1963; 62 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 (also called the Arab Cup) is a big international football competition. It is organized by FIFA, the world's football governing body. This tournament brings together senior men's national teams from countries in the Arab world.

The Arab Cup happens every four years. The team that won the last tournament in 2021 was Algeria. They won their first title in Qatar.

The very first Arab Cup was held in 1963 in Lebanon. Tunisia won that first championship. After a few tournaments in the 1960s, the Arab Cup took a long break. It returned in 1985. The tournament was then played several more times until 2012. The 2021 edition was special because it was the first time FIFA organized it.

Six different national teams have won the ten Arab Cup tournaments so far. Iraq has won the most titles, with four victories. Saudi Arabia has won twice. Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia have each won one title. Seven countries have hosted the Arab Cup. Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have each hosted twice. Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and Syria have each hosted once. All Arab Cups have been held in Asia.

History of the Arab Cup

The idea for the Arab Cup started in 1957. A journalist from Lebanon, Nassif Majdalani, and a football official, Izzat Al Turk, first thought of it. In 1962, the Lebanese Football Association (LFA) officially asked for the tournament to be created.

The first Arab Cup took place in Beirut, Lebanon, in April and May 1963. Five teams played in this first competition.

Between 1966 and 1982, the Arab Cup was not held. During this time, another tournament called the Palestine Cup was played instead. This cup was held three times in the 1970s. When the Arab Cup returned in the 1980s, the Palestine Cup became a youth tournament. The 1992 Arab Cup was also part of the 1992 Arab Games.

The 2021 tournament was the first one organized by FIFA. It was then renamed the FIFA Arab Cup. After the final match in 2021, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that FIFA would continue to organize future tournaments. On May 15, 2024, FIFA announced that Qatar will host the tournament in 2025, 2029, and 2033. The tournament will be an invitational event, meaning teams are invited to play.

Tournament Results

This table shows the winners and top teams from each Arab Cup tournament.

Keys
  • a.e.t.: after extra time (means extra time was played)
  • p: penalty shoot-out (means the winner was decided by penalties)
  • awd: awarded result (the result was given, not played)
  • TBD: to be determined (not decided yet)
Ed. Year Host First place game Third place game Teams
1 Champion Score 2 Runner-up 3 Third place Score Fourth place
Arab Cup
1 1963  Lebanon
Tunisia

Syria
[[File:{{{flag alias-1943}}}|30x27px|border |alt=|link=]]
Lebanon

Kuwait
5
2 1964  Kuwait
Iraq

Libya

Kuwait
[[File:{{{flag alias-1943}}}|30x27px|border |alt=|link=]]
Lebanon
5
3 1966  Iraq
Iraq
2–1
Syria

Libya
6–1 [[File:{{{flag alias-1943}}}|30x27px|border |alt=|link=]]
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)
[[File:{{{flag alias-1980}}}|30x27px|border |alt=|link=]]
Syria

Egypt
2–0
Jordan
10
6 1992  Syria
Egypt
3–2
Saudi Arabia

Kuwait
2–1 [[File:{{{flag alias-1980}}}|30x27px|border |alt=|link=]]
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 16
12 2029 TBD TBD TBD
13 2033 TBD TBD

Teams Reaching the Top Four

This table shows which teams have done best in the Arab Cup. It lists how many times they have won, been runners-up (second place), or finished third or fourth.

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

Teams in Tournaments

This section shows how each team has performed in different Arab Cup tournaments.

Legend

The number of teams in each final tournament is shown in parentheses.

Team 1963
Lebanon
(5)
1964
Kuwait
(5)
1966
Iraq
(10)
1985
Saudi Arabia
(6)
1988
Jordan
(10)
1992
Syria
(6)
1998
Qatar
(12)
2002
Kuwait
(10)
2012
Saudi Arabia
(11)
2021
Qatar
(16)
2025
Qatar
(16)
Total
 Algeria × × × × GS × GS × × 1st Q 3
 Bahrain × × GS 2nd GS × × 2nd GS GS 6
 Egypt × × × × 3rd 1st GS × GS 4th Q 5
 Iraq × 1st 1st 1st 1st × × × 3rd GS Q 6
 Jordan GS GS GS GS 4th GS GS SF × QF Q 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 Q 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 Q 7
 Sudan × × × × × GS GS GS GS 4
 Syria 2nd × 2nd × 2nd 4th GS GS × GS 7
 Tunisia 1st × × × GS × × × × 2nd Q 3
 United Arab Emirates × × × × × × 4th × × QF Q 2
 Yemen × × GS × × × × GS GS 3
Team 1963
Lebanon
(5)
1964
Kuwait
(5)
1966
Iraq
(10)
1985
Saudi Arabia
(6)
1988
Jordan
(10)
1992
Syria
(6)
1998
Qatar
(12)
2002
Kuwait
(10)
2012
Saudi Arabia
(11)
2021
Qatar
(16)
2025
Qatar
(16)
Total

More Football Tournaments

  • Palestine Cup of Nations
  • Football at the Arab Games
  • Arab Women's Cup
  • Arab Club Champions Cup

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Copa Árabe FIFA para niños

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FIFA Arab Cup Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.