Garcia Replaces Lopez As Qatar Coach, Makes Major Squad Changes For Arabian Gulf Cup

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Fawad Hussain | The Peninsula

Doha, Qatar: Spanish coach Luis Garcia has been appointed as Qatar's head coach, replacing Marquez Lopez – the Asian Cup-winning tactician, the Qatar football Association (QFA) announced today, December 11.

Garcia's immediate task will be to lead the two-time Asian champions in the upcoming Arabian Gulf Cup – also known as Khaleeji Zain – which will be held in Kuwait.

Having served as Lopez's assistant since the latter's appointment in December following Carlos Queiroz's departure, Garcia expressed his gratitude to both the QFA and coach Lopez for the“opportunity to lead the senior national team in the Arabian Gulf Cup”.

The 43-year-old Garcia, a former player with clubs like Mallorca and Espanyol, later coached Espanyol before moving to Qatar.

Lopez's departure had been widely speculated due to Qatar's struggles in the decisive round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.

With just seven points from six matches, Qatar currently sit fourth in Group A – nine points behind group leaders Iran and six behind second-placed Uzbekistan, with four games remaining. The top teams from the group will secure direct qualification for the World Cup.

Despite recent challenges, Lopez had a strong start as Qatar's coach, leading the team to a successful Asian Cup title defence and near-perfect results in the second round of World Cup qualifiers. Under his leadership, Qatar rose to 34th in the FIFA World Rankings in July, compared to their current position of 48th.

“All appreciation and gratitude to coach Marquez Lopez for his dedication and the achievements he brought during his time leading our national team. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours. Thank you, Lopez,” the QFA posted on its X handle.

Garcia's appointment is considered temporary, with Qatar likely to appoint a new head coach ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers in March 2025.

Several senior players axed from preliminary squad

Just hours after his appointment, Garcia named Qatar's squad for the Arabian Gulf Cup, making several changes compared to the one selected for last month's games against Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates.

While Pedro Miguel, Edmilson Junior and Mohammed Waad will miss the tournament due to injuries, seasoned players such as Boualem Khoukhi, Abdelkarim Hassan, Karim Boudiaf, and Abdulaziz Hatem were dropped from the 29-player preliminary squad called up for a short training camp in Doha.

Assim Madibo, Mohammed Ayash, and Ahmed Al Rawi have been recalled to the squad.
Akram Afif and Almoez Ali will continue to lead Qatar's attack.

Qatar will face hosts Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Oman in Group A of the Arabian Gulf Cup, which runs from December 21, 2024, to January 3, 2025.

Champions in 1992, 2004 and 2014, Qatar will begin their hunt for a fourth title with a match against the UAE on December 21, followed by a game against Oman on December 24. They will play their final group match against Kuwait on December 27.

Qatar's preliminary squad

Meshaal Barsham (Al Sadd), Salah Zakaria (Al Duhail) Mohammed Al Bakri (Al Wakrah), Marwan Sherif (Al Ahli), Abdullah Al Ahrak (Al Duhail), Abdullah Youssef (Al Gharafa), Abdelrahman Moustafa (Al Ahli), Ahmed Al Rawi (Al Rayyan), Ahmed Fathy (Al Arabi), Akram Afif (Al Sadd), Al Hashemi Al Hussain (AD Alcorcon B), Almoez Ali (Al Duhail), Assim Madibo (Al Gharafa), Bahaa Al Leithi (Al Ahli), Hazem Shehata (Al Rayyan), Homam Al Amin (Al Duhail), Ibrahim Al Hassan (Calahorra), Jassim Jaber (Al Arabi), Lucas Mendez (Al Wakrah), Mohammed Ayash (Al Duhail), Mohamed Khaled (Calahorra), Mohammed Muntari (Al Gharafa), Moustafa Meshaal (Al Sadd), Naif Al Hadhrami (Al Shahania), Rabeh Boussafi (Al Gharafa), Rashid Al Abdulla (Al Duhail), Sultan Al Brake (Al Duhail), Tarek Salman (Al Sadd), Yusuf Abdurisag (Al Sadd)

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