By Tomiwa Jagunna, Qatar
As the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup gathers momentum in Qatar with a total of six African teams participating , for the likes of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, and Comoros the tournament serve as an avenue to test ideas, match strategies and new players hoping to feature at the Total energies African Cup of Nations in Morocco in few days.
2025 Afcon hosts, Morocco started brightly with a convincing 3–1 win over Comoros, with the Moroccan supporters showing up in their multitude, lighting up the Khalifa International Stadium, Al-Rayyan, while Sudan impressed with a rather calm 0–0 draw against Algeria. Egypt had a more questionable start, managing a 1–1 draw with the UAE at the Lusail Stadium, Lusail, despite the caliber of players available at their disposal.
These early results highlight each team’s level of readiness ahead of AFCON 2025 in Morocco.
The Arab Cup is playing a crucial role in improving match fitness for many of these teams as well as providing a debut for many home-based players. It will also provide a competitive environment that helps sharpen the physical and mental sharpness of the players.
For nations like Sudan, the tournament offers real match pressure that helps ensure players arrive at AFCON ready to adapt to the high intensity of the tournament. Rather than relying on friendly matches.
Beyond fitness, the Arab Cup gives coaches a chance to experiment tactically and evaluate their squad depth.
Due to clubs not always releasing Europe-based players, many teams have integrated local or fringe players into the squad, and we can see a few breakout potentials.
However, the Arab Cup also comes with challenges. The intense schedule increases the risk of fatigue and injuries just before AFCON, and teams may struggle to get an accurate assessment of their full-strength squad if key players are absent. Despite these speculations, the overall experience remains highly valuable.
Ultimately, the Arab Cup offers African teams a final opportunity to fine-tune their strategies ahead of the continent’s biggest football tournament.
