The nine highest-ranked teams, including host country Qatar, will join the seven winners from the qualifying stage in the final tournament. The 16 teams have been drawn into four groups of four, as follows:

Group A: Qatar, Iraq, Winner of Oman v. Somalia and Winner of Bahrain v. Kuwait

Group B: Tunisia, UAE, Syria and Winner of Mauritania v. Yemen

Group C: Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Winner of Jordan v. South Sudan and Winner of Palestine v. Comoros

Group D: Algeria, Egypt, Winner of Lebanon v. Djibouti and Winner of Libya v. Sudan

The four group winners and four group runners-up will proceed to the knockout stage: quarter-finals, semi-finals, third-place play-off and final. The games will take place at six Qatar 2022 stadiums, with the venues set to be confirmed in due course.

The tournament will take place later this year – during a similar time-slot to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. It is seen as a vital opportunity to test operations and facilities exactly a year before Qatar hosts the first World Cup in the Middle East and Arab world.