(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Fawad Hussain |
The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Qatar head coach Marquez Lopez yesterday named 25-man Qatar squad, making several changes in the line-up to face Kuwait in back-to-back games in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 joint qualifiers.
Lopez, who signed a contract with the Qatar Football Association (QFA) until 2026 after guiding Al Annabi to successful title defence at Asian Cup as interim coach last month, included young Al Rayyan forward Ahmed Al Rawi and Al Wakrah goalkeeper Saud Al Khater in the squad, leaving out experienced Al Sadd custodian Saad Al Sheeb.
The reigning double Asian champions will host Kuwait on Thursday at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium before travelling for the return leg on March 26.
Qatar coach also dropped Pedro Miguel with Al Ahli's Muhammad Ayash replacing the defender, while midfielders Ali Asad and Khalid Mohammed were also snubbed. Al Arabi's Abdullah Al Maarafi, Al Shamal's Mahdi Al Muajba and Qatar SC's Abdullah Al Ahraq were added in the midfield.
Asian Cup hero Akram Afif and Almoez Ali will spearhead the attack as Qatar will return to action for the first time after defeating surprise package Jordan 3-1 in the Asian Cup final on February 10. They will miss Hassan Al Haydos, who announced his retirement from international football on Saturday.
Qatar enjoyed a bright start in the second round of Preliminary Joint Qualification defeating Afghanistan 8-1 and India 3-0 last November to take lead in Group A.
After playing against Kuwait, Al Annabi will meet Afghanistan on June 6, before the game against India five days later.
Meshaal Barsham, who won the Best Goalkeeper award at the Asian Cup, recently told FIFA the team was confident as the qualifying battle resumes after four months.
“We started our qualification campaign well, beating India and Afghanistan. Now, we're ready for the two matches against Kuwait, especially after our success at the Asian Cup. We'll try to take all six points to secure our spot in the next round nice and early and avoid the pressure of leaving it late,” said Barsham.
“Like every team, we've got a chance of qualifying for the World Cup, but I think our chances have grown after winning the Asian Cup. Of course, we're under more of a spotlight now. The other teams will be willing to give 200 percent and be very well-prepared to face us, but that means we need to be even better,” he added.
A total of 36 teams divided into nine groups are taking part in the second round of the qualifiers. All nine group winners and the respective runners-up will advance to the third round of World Cup qualifying, and at the same time seal their places at the 2027 Asian Cup.
The 18 teams will then be divided into three groups with top two teams from each group will be earning direct qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026 which will feature 48 teams for the first time.
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