Asian Cup holders Qatar drew with Syria, while Palestine drew with Tunisia, and a tense final match of the FIFA Arab Cup group awaits.
Published December 4, 2025
Tournament hosts Qatar avoided a shock early exit and kept their hopes of qualifying for the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 alive following a 1-1 draw with Syria in Group A at the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan.
The AFC Asian Cup holders, who lost their first match to Palestine, need to avoid defeat on Thursday to maintain their chances of making it to the knockout stages.
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Despite a dominant display, with 18 shots on target and Syria recording just two, tensions were high for Qatar, who had to wait until the 77th minute to find a way out.
Victory appeared to be on the way for the hosts until Ahmed Alaeldin provided an assist for Edmilson Junior and Omar Harbin’s shot in the 90th minute denied the hosts a goal.
Group leaders Palestine also came from behind to win against Tunisia earlier in the day, securing a 2-2 draw.
The group will advance to the final round on Sunday, with Qatar facing Tunisia at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, and Syria facing Palestine at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan.
Palestine only needs to draw their final match to secure their place in the knockout stages, but they must win a match to secure the top spot.
If Syria loses the match, Qatar and Tunisia will qualify for the next round on a winner-take-all basis.
At the kickoff of the match against Palestine, Tunisia jumped to a two-goal lead with Amor Rayouni converting Ismael Gharbi’s corner kick in the 16th minute.
Mohamed Ali Ben Romdan then converted a square ball and Firas Shawarat scored six minutes into the second period.
Palestine were far from done with the game, however, and with five minutes left Zayed Kumbhar fired a low shot through the crowd before Hamed Hamdan brought his team back into the game with a volley.
