Arab Cup FIFA 2025: Algeria to Face Winner of Sudan vs Lebanon Playoff

Algiers – The Algerian national team for local players will begin their campaign in the group stage of the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 against the winner of the playoff match between Sudan and Lebanon, scheduled for Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at 13:00 at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha. The match is part of Group D, according to the schedule released by the Algerian Football Federation.

The second edition of the FIFA Arab Cup will take place in Qatar from December 1 to 18, 2025. Algeria, the defending champion, was drawn into Group D alongside Iraq, and the winners of the playoff matches Bahrain vs Djibouti and Lebanon vs Sudan.

For their second group match, Magid Bougherra’s men will face the winner of Bahrain vs Djibouti on Saturday, December 6, at 14:30 at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha. They will conclude the group stage against Iraq on Tuesday, December 9, at 18:00, at the same stadium.

The competition will feature 16 national teams from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The host country, Qatar, Algeria as title holder, and the top seven ranked teams at the time of the draw qualified directly for the finals. The remaining seven spots will be contested in playoff matches scheduled for November in Qatar.

Two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stage, which includes the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final.

Algeria’s Group D Fixtures:

• Wednesday, 3 December – Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium: Algeria vs. Winner of Sudan/Lebanon (13:00)
• Saturday, 6 December – Khalifa International Stadium: Winner of Bahrain/Djibouti vs. Algeria (14:30)
• Tuesday, 9 December – Khalifa International Stadium: Algeria vs. Iraq (18:00)

As the reigning champions, Algeria’s participation in this tournament carries strong symbolic weight, reaffirming its leadership in Arab and African football. This presence also reflects the country’s capacity to combine sporting excellence with the defense of just causes, standing as a proud counterpoint to the Moroccan regime’s repeated failures both on and off the field, including its attempts to misuse sports for political normalization at the expense of the Palestinian and Sahrawi peoples.