Qatar at the FIFA World Cup 2026

History

Qatar made their FIFA World Cup debut in 2022 as host nation, becoming the first Arab country to host the tournament. Their performance was historically poor: they lost all three group stage matches against Ecuador, Senegal, and the Netherlands, scoring just one goal and conceding seven. They became the first host nation in World Cup history to be eliminated in the group stage and to lose all their group games. The 2026 tournament marks Qatar's second World Cup appearance and their first achieved through standard qualification. Qatar has won the AFC Asian Cup twice, in 2019 and 2023.

Qualification

Qatar qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on October 14, 2025, with a dramatic 2-1 win over the United Arab Emirates in Doha. This was their first-ever qualification for a World Cup through the standard AFC qualification process, as their 2022 participation was guaranteed as host nation. Qatar won AFC fourth round Group A to secure their place automatically without needing to enter a further playoff round. This historic achievement means Qatar became the first nation to appear in back-to-back World Cups as both host (2022) and earned qualifier (2026).

Preparation

Julen Lopetegui, the experienced Spanish coach, leads Qatar into the 2026 World Cup. Qatar began their pre-tournament preparations on May 12 with an expanded preliminary squad (34, then 35 players), trimmed to a 28-player group for the pre-tournament friendly against the Republic of Ireland. On June 1 Lopetegui submitted his final 26-man squad ahead of FIFA's deadline, with goalkeeper Shehab Ellethy and defender Rayyan Al-Ali the last two cut. In their warm-up against Ireland in Dublin on May 28, Qatar lost 1-0 to a fifth-minute Nathan Collins header and had Almoez Ali sent off in the second half; the dismissal carries no World Cup suspension and Ali remains in the squad. Qatar are scheduled to close their warm-up programme against El Salvador in Los Angeles on June 6. Coach Lopetegui has emphasized team unity over individual brilliance and highlighted the challenge of adapting to morning kick-off times.

Latest news

Lopetegui names final 26-man Qatar World Cup squad

· squad

On 1 June 2026 head coach Julen Lopetegui submitted Qatar's final 26-player squad for the World Cup: 3 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 6 midfielders and 9 forwards, almost all from Qatar Stars League clubs. Goalkeeper Shehab Ellethy and defender Rayyan Al-Ali were the two cuts from the 28-man group that played Ireland. Akram Afif, Almoez Ali and captain Hassan Al-Haydos lead the squad.

Qatar lose 1-0 to Republic of Ireland in Dublin friendly; Almoez Ali sent off

· matches

Qatar lost their pre-World Cup friendly 1-0 to the Republic of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on 28 May 2026. Nathan Collins headed Ireland in front from a fifth-minute corner. Qatar struggled to create chances and striker Almoez Ali was sent off in the second half for an altercation with an opponent, leaving the visitors a man down.

Squad

PlayerPositionClub
Meshaal BarshamGKAl-Sadd SC
Salah ZakariaGKAl-Duhail SC
Mahmoud Abu NadaGKAl-Rayyan SC
Boualem KhoukhiDFAl-Sadd SC
Pedro MiguelDFAl-Sadd SC
Sultan Al-BrakeDFAl-Duhail SC
Lucas MendesDFAl-Wakrah SC
Homam AhmedDFCultural Leonesa
Al-Hashmi Al-HussainDFAl-Arabi SC
Ayoub Al-OuiDFAl-Gharafa SC
Issa LayeDFAl-Arabi SC
Abdulaziz HatemMFAl-Rayyan SC
Karim BoudiafMFAl-Duhail SC
Assim MadiboMFAl-Wakrah SC
Ahmed FathiMFAl-Arabi SC
Jassim GaberMFAl-Rayyan SC
Mohammed Al-MannaiMFAl-Shamal SC
Tahsin MohammedMFAl-Duhail SC
Hassan Al-HaydosFWAl-Sadd SC
Akram AfifFWAl-Sadd SC
Almoez AliFWAl-Duhail SC
Edmílson JuniorFWAl-Duhail SC
Mohammed MuntariFWAl-Gharafa SC
Ahmed Al-GanehiFWAl-Gharafa SC
Ahmed AlaaeldinFWAl-Rayyan SC
Yusuf AbdurisagFWAl-Wakrah SC

Recent results

  • 2023-11-16 — QAT 8-1 AFG (qualification)
  • 2023-11-21 — IND 0-3 QAT (qualification)
  • 2024-01-05 — QAT 1-2 JOR (friendly)
  • 2024-03-21 — QAT 3-0 KUW (qualification)
  • 2024-03-26 — KUW 1-2 QAT (qualification)
  • 2024-06-06 — AFG 0-0 QAT (qualification)
  • 2024-06-11 — QAT 2-1 IND (qualification)
  • 2024-09-05 — QAT 1-3 UAE (qualification)
  • 2024-09-10 — PRK 2-2 QAT (qualification)
  • 2024-10-10 — QAT 3-1 KGZ (qualification)
  • 2024-10-15 — IRN 4-1 QAT (qualification)
  • 2024-11-14 — QAT 3-2 UZB (qualification)
  • 2024-11-19 — UAE 5-0 QAT (qualification)
  • 2025-03-20 — QAT 5-1 PRK (qualification)
  • 2025-03-25 — KGZ 3-1 QAT (qualification)
  • 2025-06-05 — QAT 1-0 IRN (qualification)
  • 2025-06-10 — UZB 3-0 QAT (qualification)
  • 2025-08-24 — QAT 2-2 LBN (friendly)
  • 2025-09-03 — QAT 2-2 BHR (friendly)
  • 2025-09-07 — QAT 1-4 RUS (friendly)
  • 2025-10-08 — QAT 0-0 OMA (qualification)
  • 2025-10-14 — QAT 2-1 UAE (qualification)
  • 2025-11-17 — QAT 1-2 ZIM (friendly)
  • 2026-05-28 — IRL 1-0 QAT (friendly)

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