December 20 – As the Arab Cup completed at the weekend, AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa declared that Qatar was “more than ready” to stage the 2022 World Cup that would showcase “the true spirit of our Asian and Arab hospitality”.
The tournament saw 10 AFC teams in the 16, four of whom qualified for the quarter-finals. There will be some concern that more didn’t progress further, but with Asian qualifiers for 2022 still at a crucial stage, a number of AFC nations held back key players for the big qualification challenges ahead.
Asian Cup champions Qatar led the AFC challenge, just missing out on the final but beating African powerhouse Egypt 5-4 on penalties in the third-place play-off.
“We must also congratulate our Asian teams for their valiant and brave displays throughout the tournament,” said Shaikh Salman.
“Qatar were extremely unfortunate to narrowly miss the final, but credit must go to all our 10 Asian participating teams and everyone working tirelessly behind the scenes for showcasing great resolve and for doing the Continent proud.”
The Arab Cup was played in six stadiums that will be used in 2022.
“Over the last 19 days, the world has witnessed the warmth of Qatar’s hospitality and the impeccable organisational expertise and efficiency led by Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Legacy & Delivery executed to perfection,” said Shaikh Salman.
“More importantly, the FIFA Arab Cup confirmed what we in Asia have known all along, that Qatar is more than ready to stage the greatest-ever FIFA World Cup in the tournament’s proud history.
“On behalf of the Asian football family, I would like to congratulate the Qatar Football Association, the Qatar Supreme Committee for Legacy & Delivery and the local authorities for their outstanding efforts, particularly under these challenging circumstances, and I must reiterate the AFC’s support towards our collective ambitions to showcase the true spirit of our Asian and Arab hospitality.”
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