Palestine have been drawn against a triumvirate of Gulf opponents in Group A of the 2012 Arab Cup. All of Palestine’s group games will be played in King Fahed Stadium in Ta’if- a city known for its milder temperatures (average June Temperature- 28.5 C). The United Arab Emirates are the first opponents for Al-Fursan on June 22nd followed by Kuwait on the 25th. The team wraps up its group fixtures with a primetime match against hosts Saudi Arabia on June 28th. This will mark the first time Palestine has faced Saudi Arabia in a competitive fixture.
Palestine has a 0-2-2 record against Kuwait recently losing in extra time to the Blues at the Pan-Arab Games Third Place Playoff. Their record against the United Arab Emirates is a respectable 1-1-1 their most recent meeting came in February- a 0-3 reverse for the travel weary Palestinians who used the match to knock off some rust before comfortably dispatching Azerbaijan later that week.
Group B Features Libya, Morocco- who will be fielding domestic players only, Pan-Arab Games Champion Bahrain, alongside plucky and often underrated Yemen.
The giants of Arab Football clash in Group C with Egypt and Iraq vying for a semifinal spot. They are joined by Lebanon and 2012 CAF quarterfinalists Sudan.
Group winners automatically advance to the semifinals with the best runner-up joining them as well. Palestine will receive $200,000 just for participating in this tournament with a $600,000 cash prize on offer for the runners-up. If Palestine were to win the tournament they would claim a cool $1 million.
