10 nations prepare for battle in 2022 Arab Futsal Cup in Dammam

The 2022 Arab Futsal Cup is set to kick off on Monday in Dammam, with 10 nations hoping to claim the sixth edition of the competition.

The 10-team tournament, organized by the Union of Arab Football Associations and hosted by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation, runs from June 20-28.

Group 1 includes Morocco, Kuwait, Mauritania and Somalia; group 2 Egypt, Iraq and Algeria; and group 3 sees hosts Saudi Arabia take on Palestine and Libya.

The Arab Futsal Cup launches the UAFA’s 2022-23 season, with the association keen to develop the sport of indoor football in the Arab world.

The first edition of the tournament took place in Cairo in 1998, with hosts Egypt claiming the title after beating Morocco 8-4 in the final.

Egypt, hosting the tournament again in 2005, retained the title with a 5-1 win over Morocco.

Libya took the title on home soil in 2007, and won it again in Egypt a year later.

There was a 13-year break before the fifth edition of the competition returned in 2021, with Morocco winning the title for the first time, defeating Egypt 4-0 in Cairo.

In Monday’s opening fixtures of the 2022 Arab Futsal Cup, Morocco will take on Kuwait, before Egypt meet Iraq and Saudi Arabia face Palestine.