As the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 gets underway, Qatar is on a mission to secure a spot at the Paris Olympics, marking its first appearance since 1992. With the tournament being held on home soil, the country’s most promising players are ready to showcase their skills on their way to yet another historic success for Qatari football.Most recently, Qatar’s senior national side claimed their second AFC Asian Cup, making it two consecutive titles for Al Enabbi. Jassim Gaber, an up-and-coming defender, played with the national team and is now looking forward to replicating that success during these Olympic qualifiers.“It was an honor to be part of the national team that won back-to-back Asian Cup championships. I hope that we can do something equally historic during this tournament and reach the Olympics after a long absence for Qatar,” said Gaber.The top three teams at the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 will secure an automatic spot at the upcoming Paris Olympics, while the fourth-place team will contest for a place against an African team. Sixteen of the continent’s most promising teams are competing in Qatar for the sixth edition of the tournament, with the competition being played on FIFA World Cup stadiums for the first time.For goalkeeper Yousef Abdulla, playing in front of a home crowd provides a huge impetus for the aspiring Olympians to reach the Paris games: “I know that as a goalkeeper, there is perhaps extra pressure on me when we are out on the pitch. But, with the support of our fans, I hope that we will be able to succeed in the tournament and qualify to the summer Olympics in Paris.”Qatar successfully kicked off their AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 campaign with a convincing 2-0 win against Indonesia. Next up for Al Ennabi is a much-anticipated matchup against Jordan on 18 April, 6:30pm, before rounding off the group stage against Australia on 21 April, 6:30pm. Both matches are set to take place at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.Mohamed Ayash, who plays his club football for Qatar Stars League side Al Rayyan SC, wants to be part of a historic side that will see the return of Qatari football to the Olympic Games: “It’s been a long time since Qatar took part in the Olympic games, and that is something that we really want to change this time around. We want to make history.”Qatar’s last appearance at the Summer Olympics football tournament was during the 1992 games held in Barcelona. The team was made up of players from a renowned generation of players that achieved tremendous success for Qatari football. At the heart of the squad was legendary player Mansour Muftah. Thirty-two years later, Muftah’s son Tameem is looking to follow in his father’s glory.“I hope that I can follow in my father’s footsteps and bring glory to Qatar, just like he did. With the home fans behind us, anything is possible, and I want to play a part in taking Qatar to the Olympics. I want to make all of Qatar proud,” said Tameem Mansour Muftah.Prices for group stage match tickets start at 15 QAR and can be purchased online through the Hayya to Qatar mobile app. Spectators from outside Qatar can also purchase tickets from the same platform. Disabled spectators can apply to purchase accessible tickets through [email protected] more information about the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024, follow @Qatar2023 on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok and X, formerly known as Twitter.

Rafa Nadal will return to action this week in Barcelona and play just his second event of an injury-hit season and while the Spaniard lacks match practice Stefanos Tsitsipas said it would be no surprise to see him battling for the title in the final.Nadal, who has said he expects to retire after the 2024 season, returned to the tour in Brisbane in January after nearly a year out with a hip flexor injury and the 37-year-old has not played an ATP tournament since due to a muscle issue.The 22-times Grand Slam champion looked set to make another comeback at the Monte Carlo Masters this month but withdrew days before the start of the claycourt tournament, saying his body would not allow him to play.Nadal has won the Barcelona title 12 times and is drawn to play Flavio Cobolli today, and while there has been no word on his status Tsitsipas said the Spaniard would have no trouble finding form on his favourite surface.“I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw Rafa in the final of Barcelona, because that’s something he has done over and over again for years and years,” Tsitsipas, who won the Monte Carlo title for a third time on Sunday, told reporters on Monday.“What he does have is this competitiveness and this fierce tennis when he gets into the momentum that sometimes feels like on the outside perspective unstoppable ... I think he’s the ultimate challenge on clay.“Whether he’s playing now at, let’s say, later stages of his career or the ones before, what he has now that he didn’t before is experience, and he for sure knows ways to win points and to prevail more in economy mode than before.”World number seven Tsitsipas, a three-times runner-up in Barcelona, will aim to carry his good form from Monaco to Spain after winning his first title of the season with a 6-1 6-4 victory over Casper Ruud.“I did need a week like this a lot, especially (after) the rough months I’ve been through the latter half of 2023 until now,” Tsitsipas said.“It hasn’t been the best of times in terms of where I wanted to be, so getting back here and winning the title is something I was definitely not aiming for and it came naturally.”