(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Fawad Hussain
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The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: After their historic run in the AFC Asian Cup earlier this year, Palestine have returned to Qatar with their sights set on making more memories in Doha.
The Lions of Canaan won hearts with their brilliant performance, reaching the last 16 stage of the continental showpiece for the first time, before eventual champions and hosts Qatar ended their memorable run in the tournament.
Palestine, led by Tunisian coach Makram Daboub, are now seeking to write a new chapter in their footballing history as they aim to advance to the third round of FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
Placed alongside strong opponents in Australia, Lebanon and Bangladesh, they stand second in the group with seven points from four games as Australia occupy the top spot with a five-point lead. The top two teams from the group will enter the next stage of the qualifiers.
Palestine will meet Lebanon – third in the group with two points – at Doha's Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium tomorrow and even a draw would be enough to take them to the third round besides confirming their spot in the next edition of the Asian Cup.
Daboub's men started their training camp in Doha on Sunday with centre back Ameed Mahajna and forward Omar Faraj joining the squad the following day.
“We have just one target in this match, which is to win and advance to the qualifiers. We will give our best efforts in the match,” Palestine captain Musab Al Battat said on the sidelines of team's training session.
The Lions of Canaan Palestine drew massive crowd support during their Asian Cup matches, and the seasoned midfielder was expecting the same tomorrow.
“Palestine team always receives overwhelming support from fans in Qatar. We are again hoping a lot of fans will cheer for us in the match. InshaAllah, we will win and celebrate the victory together,” said Al Battat.
Coach Daboub had earlier reposed confidence in his spirited side telling FIFA his team has the potential to reach the next stage of qualifiers.
“We can definitely compete for second place and a historic qualification for the third round because we've got a really strong team.”
Apart from Al Battat, Palestine team boasts experienced players with striker Oday Dabbagh also in the side.
Palestine will have another chance to progress in qualifiers if they fail to score a point against Lebanon as they will take on Australia in their final group match on June 11.
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