CAIRO, June 24 -- The 2018 FIFA World Cup has seen the competition's last Arab hope disappear thanks to Tunisia's 5-2 loss against Belgium on Saturday, adding more evidence to the argument that Arab football has a long way to go to demonstrate real competition on the world's biggest stage.

The Tunisian squad is preparing to go home along with fellow Arab competitors Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, each of which have suffered defeats in their first two matches.

Following the match against Belgium, Tunisian national team coach Nabil Maaloul told reporters that Arab teams had a long way to go before they could compete effectively at the World Cup.

While Tunisia were beaten by Belgium and England, both Saudi Arabia and Egypt were defeated by Uruguay and Russia, and Morocco lost against Iran and Portugal in Group B.

"For Arab teams, qualifying for the World Cup itself is an accomplishment, but our levels don't allow us to compete," said Taha Ismail, football expert and former striker for Egypt's Al-Ahly football club.

Most experts attributed the Arab sides' poor performances at the World Cup to a lack of fitness and effort on the players' part, rather than any strategic or tactical inadequacy.

"Arab teams lack professionalism and seriousness in their World Cup preparations. We don't have sufficient training camps or enough finance. We have a long way to go," Ismail told Xinhua, adding that "our level in football is low and we should admit that."

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