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Arabcup Starts in Qatar as a Rehearsal Event for World Cup

  • Posted Dec 1, 2021 13:43 by Yuri Matoszko
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SPORT: Qatar is almost ready for the World Cup, which will happen between the November and December of 2022.As a rehearsal event, the Arab cup has started in Qatar with an opening ceremony held on Tuesday that counted with the presence of FIFA’s President and excited fans.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino was at the opening ceremony of the Arab Cup in Qatar on Tuesday with less than a year to go until the country will host the World Cup. Infantino was among authorities and spectators in the newly opened Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, which is one of the new stadiums that will host matches during next year's tournament.The 60,000-capacity ground was packed for its inauguration, ahead of Qatar's opening match of the Arab Cup against Bahrain.

Infantino says, “Let's celebrate football and unite the world together."

Soccer fans got a feel for what the FIFA World Cup might like look, in a party atmosphere surrounding the stadium. A fan Khalifa Alhellabi says, "I mean it is something that we have never dreamed of, so making it to the World Cup and hosting it here, it is something like a dream came true. Not only for Qatar but the entire region, for the Arab community."

An Indian fan Lillia John says, "We have been actually waiting for it for a couple of years, we have been part of the whole process for the stadiums, for the construction. I think we have all been involved in some way or another and work wise also, so we are excited."

Another fan Afroon Afeez says, "Yes, it is actually like in all of the matches in Qatar, football connects everybody together, expats, Qatari, no problem. It is just the fun of football; everybody comes together for team Qatar."

There were four matches on the opening day, but the pick of them was Qatar's fixture against Bahrain, as the first match after the opening ceremony. It was a narrow win for Qatar, with Abdulaziz Hatim netting the winner with a second half header as the hosts saw off Bahrain 1-0.

The Arab Cup consists of 16 teams divided into four groups with the top two in each going through to the knockout stages.



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