Picture of a practice session shared by QFA
Doha: Qatar's national football team hopes to make history as it prepares to compete in the FIFA World Cup 2026 finals, co-hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
Qatar will begin its World Cup journey in a Group B match against Switzerland on June 13, then Canada on June 18, and finally, Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 24.
The national team aims to make its second appearance in the World Cup exceptional, after participating for the first time during the FIFA World Cup 2022 as the host country, gaining from that experience a lot of expertise that raised the bar for ambitions in the new edition.
Four years after its first appearance, which was marked by pressure to achieve technical success that matched the brilliance of organizing a historic edition of the World Cup, Qatar returns to the World Cup in a different form in 2026, amidst real potential that opens the door for it to write history by passing the group stage for the first time.
In its quest to advance from the group stages, Qatar's team is based on five pillars. One of them is stability with the main squad, where 14 players from the previous World Cup will participate once again, bringing forward cumulative experience.
The World Cup 2026 roster indicates that the current team has experienced the World Cup in all its details, from the pressure of the fans to the fear of competition, which gives it an advantage that cannot be measured by numbers. Not only does the national team have skill, but also shared experience.
In this regard, Hassan Al Haydos, who will wear the captain's armband in the World Cup as he did in 2022, said that the experience that the group possesses will be pivotal in dealing with the World Cup, as their rich prior experience left a huge legacy that helps in overcoming any competitive challenges.
He added that the pressure will inevitably be great, and therefore the presence of players who have gone through this experience will help provide a stronger character in facing high-caliber competitors, just as was the case in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which removes many factors of intimidation and fear, and constitutes a great incentive for the players.
The second factor is the absence of the exceptional pressures that preceded the previous participation, when Qatar played in the World Cup under the weight of demands to achieve results commensurate with the status of the host country, which kept the eyes on it in an unprecedented way. This made the current participation a mindset shift that could be crucial in giving players more space to play freely and without pressure.
Added to this factor is the way in which Qatar reached the 2026 World Cup by securing its place through the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup for the first time, after a great effort that gave the players a greater sense of confidence, and formed an extension of previous successes at the continental level, when the team managed to retain the titles of the last two editions of the Asian Cup.
The qualifying journey was not easy, as Qatar experienced unexpected details after failing to secure qualification through the third stage of the qualifiers as hoped, and was forced to go through the playoffs to secure its place after a decisive and exciting match against the UAE.
Regarding this aspect, Qatar's coach Julen Lopetegui indicated in previous statements to Qatar News Agency that reaching the World Cup for the first time through the qualifiers is a source of pride and honor, as it is a dream come true. He considered this an incentive for the players towards another dream, to defend their chances of qualifying for the next round.
He stressed that this achievement pushes the players to demonstrate fighting spirit, determination, and perseverance.
