Scan through the highs, lows, wins, losses, and expectations from the national team’s perspective.
Qatar will make history on November 20, competing in its first World Cup tournament. They will be the first host country of the competition.
FIFA announced that Qatar was chosen to host the 2022 World Cup in December 2010. The news had some people talking, but it also brought more attention to the Gulf nation.
Qatar’s association with football began in 1960 when it launched the Qatar Football Association. The organization later became a FIFA member in 1970 and spent the first two decades of its history on the losing end of most international matches. After spending the first two Gulf Cups in 1984, Qatar’s team finally made an impact. It lost on penalties in the final against Iraq.
In 1992, Qatar earned its first-ever Gulf Cup and qualified for the Summer Olympics.
Qatar earned its spot in the World Cup for the first time this year after qualifying impressively.
They never reached their potential but were in the race for a spot at the 1990 World Cup. While finishing third in the final round of qualifiers before dropping out of contention for France in 1998.
Qatar’s strides continued at a regional and continental level in the 2000s. They won the gold medal at the Asian Games as guests and in their own country shortly afterward.
Annabi’s most significant achievement has been taking home the 2019 Asian Cup for the first time.
Qatar kicked off its tournament in the United Arab Emirates with an impressive run in group stages. They won three games and scored ten goals.
The team fought off Iraq in the first round, eliminated South Korea with a victory in the quarterfinals, and demolished UAE in the semi-finals.
Al Moez put Qatar ahead early in the tournament, and then a solid defensive unit, led by goalkeeper Saad al-Sheep, helped seal the win for Qatar.
The goal they conceded in the final was the only one throughout the tournament while scoring revenge.
The World Cup is the perfect opportunity for the team to be recognized as a group of incredible individuals. The entire city’s expectations were raised with every game they played and every win they managed. It was a wonderful adventure in Brazil and a joyful return home when it came to an end.
The results since the 2019 Copa America are mixed. Qatar was invited to provide quality international exposure, but the country got booted out of the tournament at the quarterfinal stage.
They lost three playoff games, drawing one.
Qatar was a part of various AFC world cup qualifiers, the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup 2021, and other tournaments.
The Annabi reached its highest FIFA ranking of 48 last year after an impressive run at the Gulf Cup, where they finished third.
Fans of Qatar’s football team will hope they can make the most out of the host factor and move into the knockout stages.
The key to success for Coach Sanchez will be the strength of Qatar’s defense, led by goalkeeper al-Sheep.
Ali will be critical to Qatar’s chances in front of the goal. The forward scored three goals, leading all players in the Asian Cup with an average of 8.50 minutes per game in Qatar’s triumph.
The Asian Cup-winning coach admits that the quality of the opposition at the World Cup will be much different from what his team has faced in the past. This unfamiliarity will make it challenging, but his team will use it to their benefit, and all will be well.
Speaking about the World Cup in a recent interview, Sanchez said that tough matches await them in the tournament. They’ll be facing teams used to playing in the World Cup.
Regarding international friendly matches, Sanchez is not taking anything for granted. For its match against Ecuador on November 20, the Mexico national team will have home support behind them.
On November 25, they’ll be facing a stern test from Senegal, and then on November 29, they’ll compete with the Netherlands.
“The supporters will help Qatar during the World Cup by pushing the players to play well and feel supported.”
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