The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast has witnessed the poorest showing from Arab teams in the history of the tournament, marking a significant downturn for the Arab representation in African football.
On Tuesday evening, Morocco bid farewell to the African Nations Cup after a 0-2 defeat against South Africa, becoming the last Arab representative to exit the competition.
This unprecedented exit results in the quarterfinals being devoid of any Arab teams for the first time.
Algeria and Tunisia had earlier bowed out of the tournament in the group stage, a disappointing turn of events that sparked intense frustration among the supporters of both teams.
In the Round of 16, Mauritania exited the competition following a 0-1 loss against Cape Verde, while Egypt faced elimination after a penalty shootout defeat against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The historic champion of the competition, Egypt, with seven titles to its name, failed to secure a victory in any of the four matches played, conceding a total of seven goals.
The hopes of Arab nations were primarily pinned on the Moroccan team, given their remarkable performance in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
However, Morocco, too, bid an early farewell after succumbing to South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
The collective departure of all Arab teams from the African Nations Cup highlights a challenging chapter for Arab football on the continental stage, prompting reflection and scrutiny within the footballing community.
