The curtain fell on Group A of the 2025 Arab Cup with a dramatic finish and a nail-biting scenario until the final minute. Both the Syrian and Palestinian national teams secured their spots in the quarterfinals, benefiting from the goalless draw that dominated their encounter at the “Education City Stadium,” while Tunisia exited the tournament with their heads held high but with a tinge of regret, despite their deserved 2-0 victory over host Qatar.

Syria and Palestine… Shared Qualification Point In the opening clash, the “Qasioun Eagles” and the “Fedayeen” approached the match with both teams eyeing the single point that would guarantee qualification without relying on the other match’s result. Despite some attempts in the first half, play slowed in the second half, with both sides showing caution, and most of the action confined to midfield. The match ended in a stalemate, leaving both teams with 5 points each, securing first and second place in the group.

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Tunisian Win “Without Taste” and Early Qatari Exit Meanwhile, at the “Al Bayt Stadium,” the “Carthage Eagles” put on a strong performance to save face and cling to a slim chance of qualification. Mohamed Ali Ben Ramadan opened the scoring in the 16th minute, before Yassine Meriah doubled the lead in the 63rd. Despite finishing the match with ten men after Seifeddine Jaziri’s red card, Tunisia maintained their 2-0 win, bringing their total to 4 points, which was insufficient to join the qualifiers as their rivals had already reached 5 points.

As for the Qatari team, the Asian champions and tournament hosts, they exited the competition with just a single point, marking one of the biggest surprises of the group stage.

Final Standings – Group A:

• Palestine: 5 points (qualified)

• Syria: 5 points (qualified)

• Tunisia: 4 points (eliminated)

• Qatar: 1 point (eliminated)