Asian champions Qatar are gearing up for the Gold Cup, hoping for a strong performance on their debut at the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) tournament. Al Annabi’s participation in the upcoming event will be another milestone for them as they prepare for the next year’s FIFA World Cup at home. The national team is currently undergoing a three-week training camp in Croatia as the team management, led by head coach Felix Sanchez, eyes best possible preparation for the side. Qatar’s training programme also included a couple of friendly matches ahead of team’s departure for the US to take part in the Gold Cup.
Qatar, who will be based in Houston, are placed in Group D and are scheduled to meet Panama in their opening match on July 13. They will play their next matches against Grenada on July 17 and Honduras on July 20.
Al Annabi will become the first Arab side to feature in the tournament. Not just the region, Qatar – the 2019 Asian Cup winners – will also represent Asia, becoming the second side from the continent after South Korea to feature in the tournament.
The 2022 World Cup hosts have been featuring in major events in recent years like the Copa America (2019) and the European Qualifiers, showing impressive performance besides gaining valuable experience ahead of the FIFA showpiece event. Fans can expect a good performance from the national team in the upcoming event also as the Sanchez-coached side has shown good performance in their recent matches. Last month, the team won back-to-back Group E matches of the Joint Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023, in Doha. They defeated India before edging Oman to top the group and qualify for the Asian Cup 2023. Qatar’s performance was outstanding throughout their campaign as they collected 22 points from seven victories and a draw.
Sanchez on Friday announced a 23-player squad for the Gold Cup with the likes of Saad Al Sheeb - ‘The Best Goalkeeper of Asian Cup 2019, Al Moez Ali – the top scorer in the same event – former Asian players of the year Akram Afif and Abdel Karim Hassan besides captain Hasan Al Haydos present in the final line-up. It is a balance squad, which is boosted by the return of Afif after an injury lay off. The striker’s availability will definitely boost Qatar’s attack which can make a huge impact on the Asian champions performance in the Gold Cup.
