The final match of the FIFA Arab Cup 2021’s single knockout fixtures will take place tomorrow at Khalifa International Stadium.
Palestine has dominated the FIFA Arab Cup qualifiers after netting five goals against Comoros on Thursday, comfortably securing its spot at the tournament in November.
Al-Fida’i’s boisterous fans filled the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium to show support for one of the most favoured teams, chanting national songs and flying the iconic Palestinian Keffiyah scarf while cheering for the squad.
“Football is so much more than such a sport for me, and now with my national team playing, it feels surreal.”
Fortunately, the team did not disappoint. Five spectacular goals later, songs of celebration filled the parking arena shortly after the referee blew his whistle that confirmed the red team will visit Qatar again in later November.
Just minutes after kick-off, Comoros raced to the lead after scored a header. However, shortly after, Palestine’s Layth Kharoub scored an equaliser— the first of 4 other goals in the game, followed by Oday Dabbagh, Tamer Seyam twice, and Islam Batran.
The game ended 5-1 for Al-Fida’i who now join Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Jordan in Group C’s first round on December 1.
The last match of the qualifiers will kick off this Friday at Khalifa International Stadium at 8 PM Qatar time and will see both Gulf countries, Bahrain (99) and Kuwait (148) competing for the last spot in the tournament.
The single knockout fixtures kicked off last week on June 19 in Doha and saw the 14 lowest-ranked countries (of the 23 participating sides) on the April 2021 edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking competing for a spot in the final stage.
Now, one more spot is left to snatch.
Read also: Sudan secures spot at FIFA Arab Cup qualifiers in Doha.
The victorious team will join Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Iraq, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Syria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Algeria in the FIFA Arab Cup final phase from 30 November to 18 December in Qatar.
Group C schedule
On December 1, the winner of the qualifiers, Palestine will play against Morocco in the first match of Group C, while Saudi Arabia will face Jordan.
In the second round on December 4, Morocco will play against Jordan, and Saudi Arabia will kick off with Palestine, FIFA announced.
The long-awaited tournament will be held at the end of 2021 and is seen as a vital opportunity to test operations and facilities a year before Qatar hosts the 2022 World Cup.
Matches will take place at six Qatar stadiums, most of which are complete, while others are in the final stages of construction.
The finals of the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 and the FIFA World Cup 2022 are set to take place on the same date, 18 December, but one year apart. This also comes in conjunction with Qatar’s National Day.
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