tag

Issa Ahmed has earned a call-up to Qatar’s national team training camp during the ongoing international break, as Al Annabi step up preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2026.The inclusion comes as part of a 32-man squad named by head coach Julen Lopetegui, with the team set to assemble for a crucial camp aimed at fine-tuning preparations for the global showpiece to be held across the United States, Canada and Mexico.Meanwhile, defender Homam Al-Amin will remain with his Spanish club Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa during the international window. The decision follows coordination between Lopetegui and the club, after Al-Amin recently joined the side on loan from Al Duhail SC for the remainder of the season.Qatar’s preparations had initially included high-profile friendlies against Serbia and Argentina as part of the Qatar Football Festival, but those fixtures were cancelled due to regional tensions.Al Annabi are now scheduled to face Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on May 28 in what is expected to be a key test ahead of the tournament.At the World Cup, Qatar have been drawn in Group B alongside hosts Canada, Switzerland and a yet-to-be-determined European play-off winner. 

Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) has launched a new spend campaign offering its QIB Visa credit card holders the opportunity to win an exclusive experience at the FIFA World Cup 2026, courtesy of Visa, reinforcing the bank’s commitment to delivering exceptional value and world-class benefits to its customers.As part of the promotion, valid until April 12, 2026, QIB Visa credit and charge cardholders will have the chance to win one of four FIFA World Cup 2026 packages for two, enabling winners to attend live matches and enjoy a premium, all-inclusive experience, courtesy of Visa.Customers who spend a total of QR10,000 using their QIB Visa credit or charge card during the campaign period, locally or internationally, will earn one entry to the draw. Every additional QR10,000 spent will provide an extra chance to win.Each prize package includes round-trip Business Class airline tickets for two, Category 1 match tickets with pre-match hospitality for two, four nights’ accommodation at a four-star hotel, airport and match transportation, curated cultural and leisure experiences, access to the Visa Everywhere Lounge, and on-ground Visa concierge at the hotel, medical and security support. Winners will also receive a $600 Visa prepaid card (one per package), along with gifts valued at $400 for the winner and their companion.D Anand, QIB general manager – Personal Banking Group, said: “This promotion reflects QIB’s ongoing commitment to rewarding our customers with distinctive, lifestyle-enhancing experiences that go beyond everyday banking. Through our collaboration with Visa, we are pleased to offer Visa cardholders the opportunity to be part of one of the world’s most anticipated sporting events, while enjoying a premium experience aligned with QIB’s service standards.”Shashank Singh, Visa vice-president and general manager for Qatar and Kuwait, said: “At Visa, we are proud to collaborate with QIB to bring cardholders closer to unforgettable global experiences, such as the FIFA World Cup 2026.“This promotion reflects our commitment to rewarding everyday spending with exceptional opportunities, while delivering secure and innovative payment experiences for consumers across the region.”Customers can apply for the QIB Visa credit cards instantly through the QIB Mobile App. For more information, please visit www.qib.com.qa/en-VisaPromotion 

Qatar will face Ireland in an international friendly at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on May 28 as part of Al Annabi’s preparations for the FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico in June and July. Qatar have been drawn in Group B alongside Canada, Switzerland and one European playoff winner. In the latest FIFA rankings released in January, Qatar are ranked 56th, while Ireland sit 59th. The two sides have met twice before during the European qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Their first meeting in Debrecen, Hungary, in March 2021 ended in a 1-1 draw, while the return fixture in Dublin saw Ireland claim a 4-0 victory. As part of their ongoing preparations, Al Annabi will also play friendlies against Argentina and Serbia during an international Qatar Football Festival in Doha from March 26 to 31, which will feature six World Cup-qualified teams. The Aviva Stadium, a multi-purpose venue with a capacity of 51,700, is the official home of the Ireland national team.

QNB Group has launched an exclusive campaign for its Visa credit cardholders, offering them the chance to win hospitality packages to the FIFA World Cup 2026, courtesy of Visa.Running until March 31, 2026, the campaign rewards customers who spend a minimum cumulative amount of QR10,000 using their QNB Visa credit cards during the promotional period. For every additional QR1,000 spent beyond the initial qualifying amount, cardholders will earn one additional entry into the draw.The winners will embark on an unforgettable FIFA World Cup 2026 journey for two, featuring business-class flights, a four-star accommodation, and Category 1 match tickets. The hospitality packages grant access to the tournament’s most anticipated matches—the Opening Match, Round of 16, Quarter-Final, Semi-Final and the Final.As the only bank in Qatar offering opening and final match packages, QNB is proud to deliver a once-in-a-lifetime experience exclusively for its Visa credit cardholders. The official draw will take place on April 6, 2026.Through the campaign, QNB aims to bring customers closer to the excitement of the FIFA World Cup by combining everyday spending with access to world-class experiences. In partnership with Visa, the initiative underscores QNB’s commitment to delivering innovative rewards and exceptional service while leveraging Visa’s global acceptance and trusted security. 

Qatar’s match schedule for the FIFA World Cup 2026 has been officially confirmed by FIFA, 24 hours after the 12 groups were revealed at the draw ceremony in Washington.Placed in Group B, Qatar will open their campaign on June 13 at 3pm (June 14 at 1am in Qatar) against Switzerland at the 68,500-seater Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The Maroons then face co-hosts Canada in Vancouver on June 18 at 6pm (June 19 at 5am in Qatar). Julen Lopetegui’s side will conclude their group stage at Lumen Field in Seattle on June 24 at 3pm (June 25 at 2am in Qatar), taking on the winner of European Play-Off A, which features Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina. The biggest-ever edition of the global showpiece will feature 104 matches involving 48 teams across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

According to the procedures officially announced by FIFA, the draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026 finals will begin by placing the 12 teams from each of the four pots into separate containers.The three host nations will be placed in Pot 1, while the four pots for the teams that qualified through the European play-offs and the two pots for the teams that qualified through the intercontinental play-offs will be placed in Pot 4, ensuring a balanced distribution of teams during the draw.The draw ceremony is scheduled to begin with all the teams from Pot 1 being drawn to groups A to L. The remaining teams will then be drawn from Pots B through D.FIFA has imposed specific restrictions on the World Cup 2026 draw process. The three host nations will first be designated with different colored balls to ensure a predetermined selection process: the green ball will represent Mexico, placing them at the top of Group A; the red ball will represent Canada, placing them at the top of Group B; and the blue ball will represent the United States, placing them at the top of Group C.As for the remaining nine teams in the pot 1, they will be allocated balls of the same color, and each team will be placed at the top of the group that will be determined by the draw, thus ensuring an organized and balanced distribution.In this context, FIFA was keen to avoid the two highest-ranked teams (Spain, ranked first, and Argentina, ranked second) facing each other before the final (in the event that they topped their groups in the first round), by placing them in two separate paths leading to the semi-finals, in order to maintain a balance in the distribution of teams. The same will apply to both (France, ranked third) and (England, ranked fourth), where the two paths will be chosen randomly, in an effort to avoid the best-ranked teams facing each other early on.As for Pots 2, 3, and 4, each team's position within its group will be determined according to the draw procedure. This ensures that each team's position within its group is determined based on the pot from which it was drawn and the group it was placed in.FIFA will apply the principle of no more than one team from the same confederation being in the same group. This applies to all confederations except UEFA, which has 16 teams participating in the tournament. Since this number of teams cannot be distributed across the 12 groups, no more than two European teams can be in any one group.The implementation of the principle of separation means that no more than one team from the same continental federation should be in one group, by applying the continental federations’ restriction to the three teams that will compete within each of the two paths related to the two seats allocated for the global play-off in Pot 4.FIFA had set Dec. 6 as the date for announcing the details of the group stage matches, in order to achieve the best possible conditions for all teams, and to enable fans in different countries around the world to follow their favorite teams across different time zones, according to the rule followed in determining the stadiums of the matches and the timing of their start. (QNA)

The unique experience of Spanish coaching was marked successfully by the Qatari national football team, demonstrating its competence, excellence, and ability to achieve historic accomplishments with Qatari football, the latest of which was qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Qatar secured qualification for the World Cup, which will be held next year in the US, Canada, and Mexico, after defeating the UAE 2-1 in the final round of Group A of the Asian play-offs. Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui led the Qatari team to make history by successfully qualifying for the World Cup, adding a new chapter to Spain's record of success with Qatari football. Lopetegui took over the Qatari national team at the beginning of May, succeeding his compatriot, Luis Garcia. Despite the short period he spent in charge before the decisive matches, he was able to prepare the team in the necessary manner and gave the opportunity to many of them to participate in the starting lineup for the first time, despite the difficulty of the task. The team proved their worth and earned the coach's trust, contributing together to successfully qualify for the World Cup. This secured Qatar's second consecutive participation in the World Cup, and its first through the qualifiers after qualifying for the last FIFA World Cup, Qatar 2022, as the host nation. The Spanish coach's achievements with Qatari football are not a recent development, but extend over the past decade, which has witnessed the presence of Spanish coaches who have left a clear mark and achieved historic accomplishments with Qatar's national teams. Spain's success with the Qatari national team began in gradual stages, beginning with coach Felix Sanchez, who successfully led Qatar to the 2014 AFC U-20 Championship title. Sanchez joined Aspire Academy in 2006, coming from Barcelona's renowned La Masia academy, to work on developing football in Qatar. In 2013, he took over as coach of the U-19 national team, and just one year after taking over, he succeeded in winning the AFC U-19 Championship, the team's first continental title in this age group. In line with Qatar's vision, Sanchez assumed responsibility for the youth teams, both U-20 and U-23, until he was chosen in 2017 to take over the first team, the majority of which was composed of members of the generation he had coached in previous youth groups. Just two years after taking charge of the national team, the Spanish coach led Qatar to win the AFC Asian Cup 2019 title in the UAE, marking the country's first continental title in an unprecedented historic achievement. He then went on to become the first coach to lead Al-Annabi to its historic appearance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. After a period during which Portuguese Carlos Queiroz took over as coach of the national team, Qatar returned to the Spanish footballing sphere with the appointment of Bartolome Marquez Lopez as coach shortly before the start of the 2023 Asian Cup in Doha. Lopez lived up to expectations, continuing the journey of achievements after successfully defending the title, leading Al-Annabi to win the continental cup for the second time in a row, which was also a historic achievement. Spain's successes with the Qatari national team continued when Julen Lopetegui led the Qatari national team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026, a historic achievement as it marked the first time the Qatari national team had qualified for the World Cup through the qualifiers. The Spanish coach's unique achievements confirm his outstanding success with Qatari football, writing a distinguished history, and his aspirations for further success.

Julen Lopetegui paid tribute to his players and the fans after Qatar booked their ticket to the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Tuesday.A 2-1 win over the United Arab Emirates confirmed the two-time Asian Cup winners' first ever FIFA World Cup appearance through the qualifiers with Lopetegui expressing his pride in his players' never-say-die attitude."I congratulate everyone on qualifying in a match we managed well with the players and the team. Yes, this is the first time the team has qualified through the qualifiers. This is a great thing for us, and we are happy to qualify and participate in the 2026 World Cup," said the Spanish tactician.Having drawn with Oman in their opener, Qatar had to defeat UAE to advance, resulting in a tight match at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium. UAE, who beat Oman 2-1, also had the psychological advantage of having defeated Qatar twice in the previous round but fell to strikes from Boualem Khouki and Pedro Miguel, with Sultan Adil netting a consolation after the hosts were reduced to 10 men."The match was extremely difficult. We faced a strong and well-prepared team in the UAE. The first half was evenly matched. We wanted to score, and we achieved what we wanted at the beginning of the second half. I thank the players and the fans. Everyone did what was necessary. We overcame a difficult stage and qualified, delighting our fans," said Lopetegui.As a player, Lopetegui was part of Spain's squad at the 1994 World Cup squad but was third-choice goalkeeper and did not play. He was denied the chance to coach his national team at the 2018 World Cup. After taking Qatar to, the Real Madrid coach said "life owed me a World Cup""It seems like life owed me a World Cup, and fortunately, today I got it," the 59-year-old said. "It's a reward that I'm grateful for."For Lopetegui, the qualification carried personal significance. As a player, he was part of Spain’s 1994 World Cup squad but did not feature, and as coach, he was infamously dismissed just days before the 2018 tournament despite leading Spain through an unbeaten qualifying campaign.“It seems like life owed me a World Cup, and fortunately, today I got it,” the 59-year-old said with a smile. “It’s a reward I’m very grateful for. I’m excited to be back on the World Cup stage after what happened years ago — now it’s time to experience it with Qatar. There was a desire to be able to reach another World Cup, and that was an important factor in my decision to come here."Qatar’s performance in the 2022 World Cup, where they lost all three group games as hosts, is a reminder of the work ahead. Lopetegui acknowledged the task of rejuvenating the squad before 2026. “We have an older group,” he said. “We played with a 41-year-old in Sebastian Soria. We need to refine the team we’ll take to the World Cup.”Soria, making a surprise return to the national team after an eight-year absence, was emotional after the final whistle. “I’m happy and proud to have qualified,” the veteran striker said. “This generation deserves this achievement. Honestly, I feel lucky to be back with the team at this time. The fans were incredible.”Forward Almoez Ali echoed that sentiment. “Qualifying for the World Cup finals has a special flavor and came after a difficult match,” he said. “All the players were heroes today. This is a credit to the Qatari football system, and we want to make our next World Cup participation memorable.”Goalkeeper Abunada, whose early saves kept Qatar in the game, described the win as “a joy for the people.” He added: “The match was tough, but everyone fought to achieve this historic victory. The large crowd that came to support us made all the difference.”While Qatar can look forward to rubbing shoulders with the world's best next summer, UAE will now have to navigate a two-leg playoff against Iraq in November, with the winners to advance to the FIFA Playoff Tournament in March, where an additional two spots will be available.Head coach Cosmin Olariu did not hide his disappointment, with the Romanian feeling that his side did not maximise their chances."This is a disappointing result. We controlled the match and put pressure on our opponents. In the second half, we conceded an early goal. Football is sometimes unfair, and we must now enter a new phase and strive to return to the top of our game to secure our chances. It's unfortunate that this is where we've come to. We have to fight for our chance, and we have to learn from our mistakes going forward," said Olariu.