For years, skeptics have portrayed the Arab Cup as a light exhibition or a secondary event lacking competitive edge. The 2025 edition in Qatar, however, offered a clear counterargument built on numbers rather than rhetoric.
For years, skeptics have portrayed the Arab Cup as a light exhibition or a secondary event lacking competitive edge. The 2025 edition in Qatar, however, offered a clear counterargument built on numbers rather than rhetoric.
Across 32 fixtures, total gate figures reached 1,236,600, producing a mean attendance of 38,644 per match. It marked the second straight staging in Qatar, following the 2021 tournament that was conceived as a World Cup rehearsal and attracted 571,605 spectators overall.
Those figures alone suggest a competition that has moved beyond its experimental origins, particularly when set against the doubts that have long surrounded its relevance and appeal.
Despite sustained questioning over performance levels and officiating, the turnout compared favorably with recent continental events. The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast welcomed 1,109,593 supporters across 52 games, averaging 21,338 per fixture.
In Asia, the 2023 AFC Asian Cup — also hosted by Qatar — recorded 1,507,790 attendees from 51 matches, translating to about 29,565 per game, the highest average in that tournament’s history.
Any direct numerical comparison requires nuance. Continental tournaments draw travelling followers from across vast regions, while the Arab Cup benefits from large expatriate populations already present in the host country. Expecting identical fan movement patterns would be unrealistic, yet surpassing 38,000 per match remains notable.
The shift becomes clearer when contrasted with earlier editions and similar events. In 2021, average crowds struggled to exceed 17,000, while at the 2025 tournament, only four encounters dipped below the 20,000 threshold.
Earlier competitions in the region also underline the contrast. The 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar and several West Asian Football Federation Championship editions frequently failed to reach averages above 13,000 spectators.
Beyond Morocco’s triumph on the pitch, the broader story lies in changing engagement across the Arab world. Growing faith in domestic leagues, national projects, and regional tournaments — alongside developments in Saudi club football, Morocco’s international rise, and Qatar’s hosting role — suggests the Arab Cup is increasingly reflecting a deeper transformation rather than a passing curiosity.
