All five Arab teams participating in the Africa Cup of Nations held in Ivory Coast bowed out early, marking a negative record as they all bid farewell to the tournament in the round of 16, resulting in a complete absence from the semi-finals scheduled to be held tomorrow with two matches, the first pitting Nigeria against South Africa, and the second featuring Ivory Coast against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This marks the third time in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations that no Arab team has reached the quarterfinals after the 1992 and 2013 editions.
The Moroccan national team was the last Arab team to leave the tournament, following their 2-0 defeat against South Africa in the round of 16.
Before them, Egypt, Mauritania, Tunisia, and Algeria had exited the tournament.
The five Arab teams participating in the Nations Cup amassed 15 points in the group stage out of a total of 42 points that these teams were expected to accumulate.
It’s worth noting that Algeria and Mauritania were in the same group.
An Early Exit for Tunisia and Algeria
It began with an early exit for Tunisia and Algeria from the group stage.
Tunisia and Algeria bid farewell to the Africa Cup of Nations in the group stage, with the Tunisian team collecting only two points, finishing fourth in Group F, which included South Africa, Mali, and Namibia.
Tunisia lost to the latter with a clean goal and drew with the former two.
The Tunisian team failed to advance to the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since the 2013 edition.
Algeria exited the tournament in the group stage after losing to Mauritania with a clean goal, ending their campaign with just two points in third place in Group C.
Algeria’s participation in the group stage ended for the second consecutive time after winning the title in 2019.
In the first round, they drew with Angola 1-1 and also drew with Burkina Faso 2-2. In the end, they lost to Mauritania with a clean goal.
Egypt, the Historical Champion, Exits Against the Democratic Republic of Congo
The situation was not much better for the Egyptian team, the historical champion of the Africa Cup of Nations with seven titles.
They were eliminated by the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the round of 16 without achieving any victories.
Egypt lost in the round of 16 against the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties, after finishing second in the group with 3 points, achieved from 3 draws against Mozambique, Ghana, and Cape Verde, all with a score of 2-2.
Mauritania Ends Its Adventure Against Cape Verde
Mauritania’s adventure in the Africa Cup of Nations ended in the round of 16 with a 1-0 loss against Cape Verde.
Mauritania achieved a historic feat in the tournament, reaching the round of 16 for the first time in their history after defeating Algeria with a clean goal.
Mauritania advanced to the round of 16 after raising their tally to three points in Group A, securing passage as one of the top four teams in third place in the six groups in the tournament held in Ivory Coast.
Mauritania lost to Burkina Faso with a goal, then beat Angola before losing to Algeria with a goalless draw, securing passage to the round of 16 for the first time in their history in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Morocco Out of the Race Despite World Cup Achievement
Finally, the Moroccan national team exited the tournament against South Africa in the round of 16 with a 2-0 defeat.
Morocco has only won the continent’s Africa Cup once, in 1976, and is the only Arab team to have qualified at the top of their group after two wins against Tanzania and Zambia, and a draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Morocco was considered a strong contender, especially after an unprecedented achievement, finishing fourth in the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
