Qatar football coach Julen Lopetegui Tuesday named a 34-player preliminary squad for the FIFA World Cup to be held from June 11 to July 19.
Qatar, the two-time Asian champions, will play World Cup matches against Switzerland in San Francisco on June 13, followed by games against Canada in Vancouver on June 18 and a match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Seattle on June 24.
The large squad that Lopetegui approved Tuesday includes the core team members who featured in their two AFC Asian Cup title wins in 2019 and 2024.
Feared striker Akram Afif will be joined by veteran midfielder and captain Hasan al-Haydos, forward Moez Ali and Bassam Al Rawi. Experienced defender Pedro Miguel is also in the squad along with Mohammed Muntari who scored Qatar’s only goal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
In a surprise inclusion, veteran forward Sebastian Soria has also been named in the 34-member squad. The 42-year-old striker first appeared for Qatar at the 2006 Asian Games held in Doha. Overall, Soria has played 124 international matches for Qatar, scoring 39 goals.
Meshaal Barsham - younger brother of track and field icon Mutaz Barsham - will be key to Qatar’s World Cup plans this summer. Meshaal was the Goalkeeper of the Tournament at the AFC Asian Cup which Qatar won on home soil in Feb 2024.
A QFA official confirmed on Monday during the QFA Awards ceremony that the Qatar squad will train behind closed doors starting May 15 before flying out for the World Cup.
During Qatar’s training camp, two friendly matches will be played aimed at fine-tuning preparations ahead of the tournament. Qatar will face Republic of Ireland at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on May 28 before taking on El Salvador in Los Angeles on June 6. The 2026 tournament will be the first FIFA World Cup to feature 48 teams and to be jointly hosted by three countries - the United States, Canada and Mexico.
FIFA’s updated guidelines for the 2026 World Cup allow nations to name an initial longlist of up to 55 players, offering coaches ample room to evaluate their options before the final cut.From that pool, teams must submit a final roster of 23 to 26 players, a range that mirrors the 2022 Qatar format, which must include at least three goalkeepers.
Fans and analysts can mark their calendars for June 2, the anticipated deadline for the official squad reveals.
The squad: Meshaal Barsham, Mahmoud Abu Nada, Salah Zakaria, Shehab Al Laithi, Ahmed Al Janahi, Ahmed Alaa, Ahmed Fathi, Tarek Salman, Edmilson Junior, Ayoub Al Lawati, Sultan Al Brake, Al Hashmi Al Hussein, Boualem Khoukhi, Bassam Al Rawi, Jassim Jaber, Nail Mason, Sebastian Soria, Ryan Al Ali, Assim Madibo, Abdulaziz Hatem, Issa Laay, Mohammed Manai, Karim Boudiaf, Lucas Mendes, Tahseen Mohammed, Mubarak Shanan, Homam Al Amin, Youssef Abdurisag, Mohammed Muntari, Mohammed Waad, Hassan Al Haydos, Akram Afif, Almoez Ali and Pedro Miguel.
