Qatar football team began training in Rovinj, Croatia yesterday as the Felix Sanchez-coached side prepares for its debut appearance at the next month’s Gold Cup. The reigning Asian champions will continue the training camp at the same venue until July 6, before leaving for the US to compete in the biennial tournament. Al Annabi, featuring in the Gold Cup as a guest side, will make their debut in the tournament with a Group D match against Panama on July 13. They will play their other matches against Grenada on July 17 and Honduras on July 20. Qatar’s participation in the tournament is deemed crucial as the national team continues to prepare for the home FIFA World Cup next year.
“Participation in the Gold Cup will be a good opportunity for us in our preparations for the next year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The conditions there will be different and we will prepare accordingly. Being the Asian champions, we are expected to do well at the Gold Cup and we will do best possible preparation and will be ready for the challenge,” Sanchez said.
Qatar have been featuring in major international tournaments like the 2019 Copa America and the European World Cup Qualifiers, earlier this year. The team, which won the Asian Cup 2019, has shown impressive performances in these high-profile events. Al Annabi’s current form is also commendable as 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, recently. 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.
Qatar have shown tremendous improvement over the years due to astute planning of the Qatar Football Association and proper implementation of all these plans by the team management and the players through sheer hard work. The national team will continue to feature in top tournaments like the Gold Cup to give the best possible international exposure to players expected to be at the World Cup. This year’s inaugural FIFA Arab Cup, seen as a test event for Qatar to check its operational readiness for the World Cup, will be another opportunity for Al Annabi as the event is expected to throw up thrilling matches.
While the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy is steaming ahead of schedule in delivering the world class infrastructure for the World Cup, Al Annabi are also on the track to make their debut appearance in the FIFA showpiece memorable.
