Number of past World Cup appearances: 1
Best performance: Group stage (2022)
First appearance: 2022 (Qatar)
Top goalscorer: Mohamed Muntari (1)
Most appearances: Abdelkarim Hassan, Boualem Kuki, Akram Afif (3 each)
Player to watch: Almoez Ali
FIFA World Ranking: 55th
Four years have passed since their FIFA World Cup debut on home soil, and Qatar are preparing for a new dream.
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The reigning Asian champions and back-to-back Asian champions are the first Arab nation to fully qualify for the tournament, heading into the soccer tournament to be held in North America from June 11th to July 19th.
Heading into the final after three successful rounds of qualifying, the Qataris find themselves in an interesting and attractive Group B, where they will face Switzerland, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The prospect of reaching the knockout stages for the first time looks like a realistic goal.
In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, coach Julen Lopetegui said the team’s challenge is to take the pressure off, but not at the expense of “ambition”.
Al Jazeera analyzes Qatar’s potential in North America:
Who are Qatar’s World Cup opponents?
Qatar will face two of Europe’s strongest teams in Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Switzerland has advanced to the finals in each of the past three tournaments, and will be making it to the finals for the 13th time.
The Swiss, ranked 19th in the rankings, is the favorite to finish at the top of Group B, with his best results having been in the quarter-finals three times.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is ranked 65th in the FIFA rankings, lower than Qatar, but it would be foolish to underestimate Bosnia and Herzegovina based on that alone. Returning to the World Cup for the first time in 12 years, Bosnia and Herzegovina pulled off one of the biggest qualifying upsets by defeating four-time world champions Italy on penalties.
Qatar will face a stiff challenge from both European teams, but the two-time Asian champions could pick up a point or three against Canada, who are ranked 30th in the world and are co-hosts of the tournament along with the United States and Mexico.
Like Qatar, Canada also failed to win the 2022 World Cup, just as they did in 2018. This is the third time they have advanced to the finals, but Canada has yet to advance to the finals.
Canada had a mixed performance in pre-World Cup friendlies, winning two and drawing two.
No pressure as Lopetegui urges Qatar to enjoy the moment
In an interview with Al Jazeera ahead of the tournament, Qatar’s Spanish coach Lopetegui said his team had achieved their “big goal” of qualifying for the 48-team World Cup.
While this achievement is momentous for Qatar as a whole, it also has special significance for Lopetegui, who is playing his first World Cup as a coach.
Lopetegui was denied the chance to lead Spain at the 2018 World Cup, despite having achieved impressive qualifications, as his home country was furious that his role at Real Madrid was announced just days before Spain’s first match.
As a result, this year’s tournament will finally give the 59-year-old the chance he’s been waiting for for years.
“We are preparing for the next big challenge, which is to be competitive in the next step of our dream,” Lopetegui told Al Jazeera.
“I shouldn’t feel any pressure. Now that I’ve qualified for (the World Cup), I have to enjoy it.”
“My understanding is that you have more fun competing. Pressure is not a word in our language.”
Lopetegui, who took over as coach in May 2025, admitted that although Qatar are weaker than their opponents, there is no lack of ambition among his players.
“Every moment at the World Cup is great,” he added.
“In this case, we analyze each country and talk about each player and in which competition they are playing… We will be playing against the best players in the world. Now we have to prepare and be ready to be competitive.”
“For sure we will be playing teams that are better than us, we have to accept this. But accepting that doesn’t mean we don’t have the competitiveness or the ambition to win there. Those are different things.”
Who is Qatar’s best player?
If Qatar is to dash Canada’s hopes in Vancouver, the Gulf nation will have to rely on the scoring ability of striker Almoez Ali, Qatar’s all-time leading scorer with 60 goals, and star winger Akram Afif, a two-time Asian Player of the Year and the team’s main source of creativity.
Afif, who played in every match of Qatar’s last World Cup campaign, shares the record for most appearances in the tournament (three) with defenders Boualem Khouki and Abdelkarim Hassan.
Captain Hassan Alhaydos, who returned from retirement in June 2025 at the request of coach Lopetegui, is also a fan favorite and holds the record for the most appearances for Qatar with 188 games.
Qatar’s team continues to be built around a homegrown core formed through the Aspire Academy system that has underpinned its growth over the past decade.
Many of the squad have followed the same growth path, giving Qatar continuity and cohesion, but questions remain as to whether the group, drawn primarily from the domestic league, has the depth and experience needed to consistently compete against elite opposition.
Qatar World Cup 2026 Schedule
All local time
June 13, 12:00 PM PDT (19:00 GMT) – Qatar vs. Switzerland – Santa Clara, California (USA) June 18, 4:00 PM PDT (23:00 GMT) – Canada vs. Qatar – Vancouver, Canada June 24, 12:00 PM PDT (19:00 GMT) – Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar – Inglewood, California (USA)
Al Jazeera predictions
Qatar has a slim chance of reaching the knockout.
Their best bet to get points is against Canada. If Qatar wins against Canada, they will pick up three points, which should be enough to advance to the Round of 32 as one of the top eight third-place teams.
If Qatar draw all three matches (though this is less likely than the above scenario), they could still reach the finals for the first time in their history.
Simply put, the match against Canada is a must-win if Qatar dreams of advancing to the top.
qatar world cup national team
Goalkeeper: Salah Zakaria, Meshaal Barsham, Mahmoud Abunada
DF: Boualem Kuki, Pedro Miguel, Sultan Al Brake, Al Hashmi Al Hussein, Ayoub Al Wi, Issa Rai, Lucas Mendez, Homam Al Amin.
Midfielders: Ahmed Fatih, Jassim Gabel, Asim Madibo, Abdulaziz Hatem, Karim Boudiaf, Mohamed Al-Mannai
Forwards: Almoez Ali, Akram Afif, Tahsin Mohamed Jamshid, Edmilson Junior, Ahmed Al Ghanehi, Ahmed Alaeldin, Hassan Al Haydos, Mohamed Muntari, Yusuf Abdulisag
The FIFA World Cup begins on June 11th. Check out Al Jazeera’s dedicated 2026 World Cup page for all the latest news, fixtures and live text commentary, and stay up to date with group standings, real-time results and schedules.
