FIFA.com Welcome to the fourth episode of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Magazine Show, coming to YouTube every month.
In this month’s show we catch up with former Morocco captain Medhi Benatia, who reflects on the Atlas Lions’ Russia 2018 campaign and talks life at Qatar Star League side Al Duhail.
We also spend a day at the races watching the fastest camels on earth, as well as running through the Qatari desert following one of the world’s toughest extreme treks.
The draw for the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021™, which was conducted at the Katara Opera House in the Qatari capital Doha on 27 April, threw up some mouth-watering ties in what promises to be a thrilling competition one year before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ kicks off. Particularly eye-catching are the Algeria-Egypt and Morocco-Saudi Arabia fixtures, and a potential meeting between Palestine and Jordan.
The Arab Cup 2021 will be the first pan-Arab FIFA tournament, with the final set to be played on the same day the World Cup Final will unfold one year later: December 18, Qatar’s National Day. The participating teams will also get to play at six World Cup venues.
The extent of the rivalry between Algeria and Egypt, both at club and national-team level, is no secret. At international level, each of them have previously eliminated the other from World Cup qualifying. After consecutive appearances by Algeria at Spain 1982 and Mexico 1986, the Egyptians dashed the Greens’ hopes of making it three in a row at Italy 1990, defeating them 1-0 in Cairo and drawing 0-0 in Algiers.
The tables were turned in 2009, however. Although the Pharaohs had at the time a wonderful generation of players led by Mohamed Aboutrika, Algeria, with the likes of Karim Ziani, Antar Yahia, and Madjid Bougherra, had a gifted crop of their own and duly eliminated their rivals. After finishing with identical records in their qualifying group, a play-off was required in the Sudanese city of Omdurman. Antar Yahia’s goal famously won the game for Algeria, taking them back to the World Cup after a 24-year absence.
The Arab Cup will feature special reunions for coaches Herve Renard and Nabil Maaloul. The former, who coached Morocco from 2016 to 2019 and engineered their return to the global stage at Russia 2018 after a 20-year wait, currently holds the reins with Saudi Arabia. The Frenchman will certainly know his opponents well when the Green Falcons take on Morocco in December.
Tunisian coach Maaloul can expect a similar experience. After leading his homeland to a place at Russia 2018, he now finds himself in charge of Syria, who were drawn in the same group as the Eagles of Carthage. The prospect of facing players he knows intimately will surely make the fixture a special one for him.
No one in the Arab world could forget the famous meeting of Morocco and Saudi Arabia at USA 1994. The first all-Arab match at world football’s flagship event ended in a 2-1 win for the Saudis, with Sami Al-Jaber and Fuad Anwar grabbing their goals and Mohamed Chaouch scoring for the Atlas Lions. That game will certainly come to mind when the pair cross swords again in Doha.
Both Jordan and Palestine need to win a qualifying game to secure their place at the tournament. However, if successful, they will face each other in Group C alongside Morocco and Saudi Arabia. Were that to happen, it would be an historic encounter between neighbours with strong historical and social ties and two teams that know each other well.
“I have beautiful memories from my time coaching Morocco. Playing against them will mean a lot to me as this country will always remain in my heart. I spent three years there, and it was a great time with a great team with strong support from the Moroccan Football Federation. But that’s all in the past. Now I’m in charge of Saudi Arabia and looking forward to the future, hoping to reach the 2022 World Cup with them.”
Herve Renard
“The tournament is excellent for all Arab teams in terms of competitions and preparation, especially for the African teams competing at the African Cup of Nations in January 2022 and at the Qatar World Cup at end of that year. The tournament will also be an opportunity for Qatar to test their preparations for the World Cup and make sure all venues and facilities are ready for the world’s premier football event.”
Wael Gomaa, former Egypt defender
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Hisense, the world-renowned technology company, has entered into a partnership with FIFA to become an Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, creating an exclusive connection between the tournament’s worldwide audience in unique and compelling ways.
By joining the roster of Commercial Affiliates for the upcoming tournament, Hisense will be involved in a programme that will range from on-site engagement opportunities and logo visibility across various platforms to global advertising campaigns. The collaboration, which began in 2017 prior to the FIFA World Cup™ in Russia, also provides Hisense with an occasion to present specially created, video-on-demand programming to its customers using past FIFA World Cup content, delivered through its integrated VIDAA smart TV platform.
“It gives me great pleasure to welcome Hisense on board as an Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, and we are delighted to partner with this internationally respected brand, which also has a growing presence in the sports market,” said FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura. “FIFA and Hisense are both focused on technology, innovation and giving people the best possible experience. I am confident that this collaboration will support the global objectives of both organisations and contribute to the success of what is sure to be an amazing event next year.”
“Continued investment in world-class sporting events represents Hisense’s determination to become a global brand,” said Jia Shaoqian, the CEO of Hisense Group. “It helps Hisense build stronger relationships with its global consumers and accelerates the company’s globalisation process. It also creates a solid foundation for Hisense to compete with the world’s most innovative and leading brands in order to also become a premier global brand.”
According to research around the event, the company’s sponsorship of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ boosted awareness of Hisense TV in China PR by 12% and globally by 6%, with strong performances in the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Russia, Spain and Japan.
Hisense currently has more than 90,000 employees worldwide, with 16 industrial parks and 16 research and development centres, which together comprise a multinational collaborative research and development system. Its business includes multimedia, home appliances, IT intelligent information systems and the modern service industry, while its products have been exported to over 160 countries and regions. According to an independent research and consultancy firm, Hisense remains the world’s fourth-largest TV maker in terms of unit shipments (per 2020 figures).
The FIFA World Cup is a celebration for global football and an essential opportunity for brands to showcase innovative technological achievements and enhance fans’ viewing experience. Hisense drives innovation to provide multiple solutions for the increasingly diverse needs of consumers and to boost industry development.
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will take place from 21 November until 18 December 2022. For more information on the event, visit FIFA.com.
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The countdown towards the historic FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021™ will reach an important milestone today (Tuesday 27 April) when the draw takes place and you can watch the action as it happens.
Click on the above link to watch the draw which will take place at 21:00 local time (20:00 CET).
The draw will involve four FIFA legends: Wael Gomaa (Egypt), Nawaf Al Temyat (Saudi Arabia), Haytham Mustafa (Sudan) and Younus Mahmood (Iraq), along with FIFA’s Director of Competitions, Manolo Zubiria.
The 16-nation tournament will feature four groups followed by a knockout stage. Twenty-three nations will feature overall, with preliminary matches involving the 14 lowest-ranked teams.
The FIFA Arab Cup™ is seen as an important opportunity to test operations and facilities ahead of Qatar 2022. Both tournaments will take place in a similar timeslot, with the finals of each scheduled to take place exactly one year apart – 18 December, Qatar’s National Day.
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Ahead of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021™ draw on Tuesday, 27 April (21:00 local time), the qualifying matches for the tournament have been decided.
Of the 23 nations involved, the 14 lowest-ranked teams according to the April edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking will participate in single-leg play-offs ahead of the tournament, which will be held later this year.
The play-offs were decided according to the rankings, as follows:
The seven winning teams will join the nine highest-ranked teams who have already qualified for the tournament: host nation Qatar (58), Tunisia (26), Algeria (33), Morocco (34), Egypt (46), Saudi Arabia (65), Iraq (68), the United Arab Emirates (73) and Syria (79).
The tournament will consist of a group stage and knockout rounds. The 16 teams will be split into four groups of four, with the top two from each progressing to the quarter-finals. Matches will be played at six FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ tournament venues.
Tuesday’s draw will be made by four FIFA legends: Wael Gomaa (Egypt), Nawaf Al Temyat (Saudi Arabia), Haytham Mustafa (Sudan) and Younus Mahmood (Iraq), along with FIFA’s Director of Competitions, Manolo Zubiria. Click here to read the procedures for Tuesday’s draw.
A limited number of officials will attend the draw, in line with Qatar’s COVID-19 protocols. Information on broadcasting the draw will follow tomorrow.
The FIFA Arab Cup™ is seen as an important opportunity to test operations and facilities ahead of Qatar 2022. Both tournaments will take place in a similar timeslot, with the finals of each scheduled to take place exactly one year apart – on 18 December, Qatar’s National Day.
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