Qatar Seeks to Redeem 2022 Setback in 2026 World Cup

The Qatar national team enters the 2026 World Cup finals with hopes of presenting a better image than its previous participation as the host of the 2022 World Cup. The team struggled during the qualifiers and faced disruptions in preparations due to the cancellation of important friendly matches following tensions and war between the United States and Iran.

The Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui, who took on the role in May 2025, secured only one win in his first 11 matches. However, he eventually succeeded in leading "Al Annabi" to the tournament after overcoming Oman and the UAE in the decisive stage of the qualifiers.

It seems that Lopetegui is leaning towards using the 4-2-3-1 formation during the tournament, focusing on defensive organization and counter-attacking play against the teams of Canada, Switzerland, and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the group stage.

The Qatari national team struggled defensively during the qualifiers, conceding 24 goals in 10 matches, which prompted the coaching staff to work intensively on improving the defensive system, in addition to focusing on set pieces as a main offensive weapon.

Akram Afif is considered the standout star in the national team, having shone in Asia since the 2019 Asian Cup, and he shone again in the 2023 edition by scoring a hat-trick in the final. Meanwhile, Mohamed Al-Manaei is emerging as one of the promising talents in the midfield, while the veteran defender Boualem Khoukhi represents the element of experience and the calm leader within the group as he approaches his 36th year.

Despite the expected low turnout of Qatari fans in the United States and Canada due to the small population and the long distance, attention will remain focused on the team to see if it can overcome the memories of the 2022 World Cup, when it exited the tournament in the group stage after losing its first two matches. Lopetegui emphasized that the team is aware of the responsibility, stressing that the players will give their all to make the Qatari fans happy and deliver an honorable performance.