Asian champions Qatar shift focus to World Cup qualifiers

Qatar will hope to seal qualification into the next round when they take on Kuwait twice over the next week in the preliminary joint qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia. Fresh from successfully defending their AFC Asian Cup title on home soil last month, Marquez Lopez’s side will start as favourites against Kuwait. The first match of the double header will be held today at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, before Qatar travel for the reverse fixture on March 26.
Already three points ahead at the top, Qatar will be expected to easily advance and wins over Kuwait could well see them booking their spot early. A win for Kuwait will take them level with Qatar, setting the stage for a thrilling battle on Thursday.
Qatar had begun their quest for a first-ever World qualification under Carlos Queiroz in November as they comfortably beat India and Afghanistan.
Queiroz, however, was sacked with Lopez taking charge as Qatar went on to defend their AFC Asian Cup title. Lopez was subsequently rewarded with a contract that takes him through to 2026 but the Spaniard knows there is no room for error in Qatar’s qualification campaign.
“The team has a winning mentality, and we will give our best to win against Kuwait,” said Lopez on Wednesday. “After winning the Asian Cup title, the team is highly motivated and all the players want to continue the successful journey. It will be a difficult match against Kuwait but we are aiming to qualify for the World Cup as well as the Asian Cup. Like all of our opponents, we will respect Kuwait and will be completely focused,” the former Al Wakrah coach added.
Lopez felt the qualifiers will pose a ‘different challenge and motivation’ to his team than the Asian Cup, where Qatar emerged unbeaten en route to retaining the title. “It is difficult for a champion side to maintain the same level but will give our best to maintain our form. These qualifiers have brought us a different challenge and motivation, and the prize of success will also be different. All our focus is on qualifying for these two major tournaments,” Lopez said.
Today, there will be a new man wearing the armband after Hassan al-Haydos announced his retirement from the international scene last Saturday. The 33-year-old appeared in a record 183 matches for Al Annabi and captained the team to their Asian Cup successes in 2019 and last month, as well as in their disappointing showing as 2022 World Cup hosts, and leaves a creative void at the heart of the team.
Lopez hailed al-Haydos as the ‘role model’ for the young players in his squad, thanking him for his 14-year long service to the national team. “We are grateful for everything Hassan al-Haydos has done for Qatar football. He was a very important player on and off the field, and a role model for youngsters. We wish him success in what comes next in his career,” he said.
Lopes has inherited a squad that sits on six points at the top of Group A after wins in their opening matches against Afghanistan and India, with the top two finishers in each group advancing to the next phase of the preliminaries.
Eight Asian nations are guaranteed to qualify for the finals with a ninth progressing to an intercontinental playoff.
Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup but have never qualified for the finals, with Japan, South Korea, Australia, Iran and Saudi Arabia claiming the Asian berths at the most recent edition.
Meanwhile, India will also be aiming for three points to keep pace at the top, with Igor Stimac’s side having kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 win over Kuwait. That was followed by a 3-0 defeat against Qatar and India know they need maximum points from their double header against Afghanistan if they are to stay in the race for a top two finish which will earn them a spot in the third round of FIFA World Cup qualifying.
“Our target is to advance to the third round of the World Cup Qualifiers, and we are confident of making history. The players are extremely motivated as we have never made it to the third round ever,” said Stimac.
“We will be playing our away match against Afghanistan at an altitude of 2270 metres in Abha, Saudi Arabia. Playing at such a height requires great endurance. The players are in decent form, and need to overcome the conditions, all sorts of difficulties and find a way to manage the game in a positive manner. Defensively we need to be stable.”