African champions Algeria have been handed a tough draw at the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021™ as they will face their arch-rivals Egypt in Group D of the tournament.

Another continental giant Morocco will play against Asian giants Saudi Arabia in Group C while Tunisia takes on, United Arab Emirates in Group B of the tournament being hosted by the 2022 World Cup hosts.

Several other African countries are also in the tournament but must play in the qualifying play-off before they can advance to play in the group stage of the tournament.

Ahead of the main draw, FIFA confirmed the pairings for the qualifying matches. The 14 lowest-ranked teams will take part in single-leg matches, with the ties decided based on the April edition of the

FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings:

Oman (FIFA world ranking: 80) vs Somalia (197)

Lebanon (93) vs Djibouti (183)

Jordan (95) vs South Sudan (169)

Bahrain (99) vs Kuwait (148)

Mauritania (101) vs Yemen (145)

Palestine (104) vs Comoros (131)

Libya (119) vs Sudan (123)

The nine highest-ranked teams, including host country Qatar, will join the seven winners from the qualifying stage in the final tournament. The 16 teams have been drawn into four groups of four, as follows:

Group A: Qatar, Iraq, Oman or Somalia & Bahrain or Kuwait

Group B: Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Syria & Mauritania or Yemen

Group C: Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan or South Sudan & Palestine or Comoros

Group D: Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon or Djibouti & Libya or Sudan

The four group winners and four group runners-up will proceed to the knockout stage: quarter-finals, semi-finals, third-place play-off, and final. The matches will take place at six Qatar 2022 stadiums, with the venues set to be confirmed in due course.



The tournament will take place later this year – during a similar timeslot to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

It is seen as a vital opportunity to test operations and facilities exactly a year before Qatar hosts the first World Cup in the Middle East and Arab world.

The FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021™ is set to take place towards the end of the calendar year as it will also be a test for the preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, the first World Cup in the Middle East.

Both the final of the Arab Cup and the World Cup will take place on the 18th of December, Qatar's National Day.

Each of the games will be played across six new venues made for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with most of the stadiums already functioning and have hosted a major sporting event in the past, such as both FIFA Club World Cup 2019 and 2020.