Tunisia beat Asian champions Qatar 3-0, while Palestine draw with Syria to enter the quarterfinals for the first time.
Asian champions Qatar have been knocked out of the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 after a shocking 3-0 loss to Tunisia, with Palestine advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time with a 0-0 draw against Syria.
Home favourites Qatar needed a big win over Tunisia to have any chances of progressing from Group A, where Palestine and Syria were in the lead as the last round of the group fixtures was played on Sunday.
A poor defensive display from the Asian Cup winners saw them concede the lead in the 16th minute on Sunday, when Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane pounced on a goalkeeping error by Meshaal Barsham, allowing the Tunisian midfielder to poke the ball into the net from close range at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.
While the Annabi (the Maroons) were able to hold off further Tunisian goals in the first half, the home crowd was left frustrated by Qatar’s attack.
Led by star striker Akram Afif, the forwards looked jaded as they failed to produce goal-scoring opportunities despite holding 60 percent of the possession.
They were made to pay for not converting their shots into goals when Tunisia doubled their lead in the 62nd minute through a low and close-range header by Yassine Meriah following a corner.
A few minutes later, Tunisia were reduced to 10 men when Seifeddine Jaziri was sent off for a foul with 25 minutes left until full time, but Qatar failed to capitalise on the advantage.
Tunisia’s win was sealed in the closing minutes of the game when an unmarked Mohamed Benali received the ball in the Qatari half and slotted in a powerful strike.
He went on to celebrate the goal and the win, but Tunisia’s joy was short-lived as the result from the other group game confirmed that both teams were knocked out.
Widely contrasting scenes unfolded 48 kilometres (30 miles) away at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, where Palestine and Syria played out a goalless draw to secure their respective qualification for the last-eight stage.
Palestine beat Qatar dramatically in the opening game of the tournament when an own goal gave the war-torn nation a shock win over the favourites.
The Fidai – as the Palestinian team is known – then put on a dogged display against Tunisia as they came back from 2-0 down to draw their second match.
Syria, too, won their first match when they beat Tunisia 1-0 and were level on points and goal difference with their fellow Levantine nation.
This left both table-topping teams needing a point from the final Group A match to secure their progress, and when the full-time whistle was blown by the referee signalling a goalless draw, both sets of players fell to the ground in an outpouring of the emotions they had held back for 90 minutes.
The Palestinian team brought out their flags, keffiyehs and loudest roars as they celebrated in tandem with their vociferous supporters.
Syria’s players were equally emotional as they jumped around in joy and disbelief.
Several Palestinian players, including Gaza-born defender Mohammed Saleh, waved both Palestinian and Syrian flags as the celebrations carried on well past full time.
The results and their impact on the tournament’s next round are shocking, not only because both Palestine and Syria are reeling from the effects of war, but also due to the gulf in the teams’ standings in world football.
Palestine are 96th in FIFA’s team rankings, 45 places behind Qatar, while Syria are placed at 87. Tunisia, the sixth-best team in Africa, are ranked 40th in the world.
Qatar are among the six Arab teams to have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, and Tunisia are among the nine African nations in the finals.
Neither Palestine nor Syria have ever qualified for football’s showpiece event, but for now, their fans will not care as their teams march on in the Arab Cup.
