16 out of the 22 teams will qualify to play in Qatar. 

Qatar will host the 2021 Arab Cup from December 1-18, 2021, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced during the 15th meeting of the Council held at its headquarters in Switzerland.

The tournament will test Qatar’s readiness for the 2022 World Cup and other sporting events while also celebrating Arab football. 

The 22 Arab football federations approved their participation in the competition but only 16 will qualify.

The  participating teams include Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

“We are delighted that all 22 teams from across the Arab world have agreed to take part in the FIFA Arab Cup 2021, which will be held in FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadiums, and we are looking forward to seeing the region’s best teams battle it out to see which nation will become champion,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said.

The top 10 teams in FIFA rankings will directly qualify to the group stage while the 12 remaining teams will compete for the six spots.

The 16 nations will be distributed in four groups with the top teams reaching the knockout stage.

Covid-19 precautions will be put in place during the entirety of the event, as was the case in previous Qatar-based tournaments, such as the Asian Football Confederation’s Champions League.