Doha, Qatar: Asian champions Qatar will begin their campaign in the final Asian play-off stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers tomorrow when they take on Oman at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Al Sadd.

The six-team play-off, split into two groups of three, will decide Asia's final direct qualifiers for the World Cup, while the second-placed teams in each group will play each other over two legs in November to determine which team advances to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Doha will host the Group A fixtures of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, while Group B, hosted in Jeddah, includes Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Indonesia. The winners of each group will earn direct qualification for the 2026 FIFA extravaganza which will be jointly hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico.

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Qatar, under Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui, have been training intensively since the completion of the AFC Champions League Elite West second round in which local heavyweights Al Sadd, Al Duhail and Al Gharafa took part in.

Ahead of the crucial stage, Lopetegui said that“preparations went in an ideal manner” and that“the team will seek to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 26 despite the challenge of having to face two strong opponents: Oman and the UAE”.

Lopetegui added that it is imperative that all team members maintain their mental focus and put in their maximum effort in pursuit of the desired goal.

Qatar, champions of the last two AFC Asian Cups in 2019 and 2023, are targeting their second appearance at the World Cup after hosting the highly successful 2022 edition, and are favourites to go through.

However, Lopetegui added that what matters now is giving the utmost performance, being in the present moment, and being competitive to surpass Oman and the UAE despite the team's illustrious pedigree.

The Qatar coach pointed out that the team is facing minor issues with player injuries, with some key players remaining uncertain for tomorrow's clash.

Meanwhile, in an interview with the Qatar News Agency, former Qatar star Abdulaziz Hassan said the players have the experience to handle key matches and that playing in Doha before a big home crowd will help the team recover after a disappointing third round.

“The squad has strong attacking options with Akram Afif, Almoez Ali, and Edmilson,” Hassan said, urging the players to give maximum effort and maintain top form to beat their rivals while not wasting valuable chances.

“The three Group A teams are evenly matched and dropping points could prove costly,” Hassan added.

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