From the quarter-final to the group stage: the journey of all eight Arab teams at the 2026 World Cup
With a record eight Arab teams competing, campaigns ranged from Morocco's run to the quarter-final to an early group-stage exit for four nations. Here's a full rundown of every Arab team's journey at the 2026 World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup featured a record eight Arab teams: Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Iraq. Here's how each campaign unfolded:
- Morocco — Quarter-final: the best Arab run of the tournament, after clearing the group stage, round of 32 and round of 16, before falling to France (0-2) in the quarter-final.
- Egypt — Round of 16: eliminated by Argentina (2-3) after a hard-fought contest, ending their run in the last 16.
- Algeria — Round of 32: the Desert Foxes' campaign stopped at their first knockout match, against Switzerland (0-2).
- Tunisia — Group stage: eliminated in the first round after a 1-3 defeat to the Netherlands.
- Saudi Arabia — Group stage: eliminated despite a 0-0 draw with Cape Verde on the final matchday, a result that wasn't enough to advance.
- Qatar — Group stage: campaign ended with a 1-3 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Jordan — Group stage: eliminated after a 1-3 loss to Argentina, in their first-ever historic World Cup appearance.
- Iraq — Group stage: the heaviest defeat among the Arab teams, a 0-5 loss to Senegal.
Morocco remain the only Arab team to reach the latter knockout rounds, confirming their status as the best Arab representation in the competition's history, while Jordan's historic first-ever World Cup appearance is an achievement in its own right despite the early exit.
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