Asian Cup: “Meeting of Enemy Brothers,” the third Arab final after 1996 and 2007

The AFC Asian Cup final between Jordan and Qatar will be the third final between two Arab teams in the history of the competition, following the 1996 and 2007 tournaments.

Kuwait squandered its first chance to face an Arab side in the final in 1984, losing in the semi-final to China, who then went on to lose the title to Saudi Arabia.

The first Arab encounter came from the UAE, which hosted the tournament in 1996 and reached the final before losing to Saudi Arabia, led by Yousef Al-Thunayan, on penalties after a goalless draw at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

The second Arab encounter was in 2007 between Saudi Arabia and Iraq, which the "Lions of Mesopotamia" won 1-0 thanks to a header from Younis Mahmoud in the 72nd minute of the tournament hosted by Jakarta, Indonesia.

In the current tournament, no one expected this scenario, especially after the elimination of six of the eight participating Arab teams. However, the fall of the big teams, one after the other, paved the way for Jordan, which defeated Iraq, Tajikistan, and South Korea, and Qatar, which eliminated Palestine, Uzbekistan, and Iran.

Jordan's Moroccan coach, Hussein Ammouta, will also have the opportunity to become the second Arab coach to win the title, if he succeeds in overcoming Qatar, which is coached by the Spaniard Marquez Lopez.
Saudi Arabia's Khalil Al-Zayani holds the distinction of leading his country to the prestigious title in 1984.