Palestine earned a prescious 1–0 victory over the hosts, Qatar, in the official opening match of the 11th edition of the Arab Cup, held on Monday evening at Al Bayt Stadium.
The game was part of Group A, which also includes Tunisia and Syria.
The only goal of the match came through an own goal by Sultan Al-Buraik in the 95th minute, a heartbreaking moment that denied Qatar the chance to begin their campaign with a victory.
With this result, Syria sit at the top of Group A with 3 points, earned from a single win, scoring once and keeping a clean sheet.
Palestine are in second place, also with 3 points from one win, one goal scored and none conceded.
Qatar are third, tied with Tunisia at the bottom of the group with zero points after losing its opening match, failing to score, and conceding one goal.
The defeat meant that the “Annabi” failed to make the strong start it hoped for in its quest to win the Arab Cup title for the first time in its history.
Qatar’s best achievement was finishing runners-up in the seventh edition in 1998, which it hosted.
The team also took third place in the Doha 2021 edition and fourth place in its debut appearance in Saudi Arabia in 1985.
The “Fedayeen” enter their sixth appearance in the tournament aiming for a historic milestone: reaching the knockout stage for the first time.
Their ambition is fueled by the impressive performances they delivered during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, despite not making it to the finals.
Palestine prepared thoroughly for the tournament, holding a training camp in Spain where they played two friendlies against Catalonia and the Basque Country.
They then continued their preparations with a week-long camp in Doha before the start of the group stage, arriving at the competition as ready as possible.
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