Qatar in the FIFA World Cup 2026: Squad, Key Players, and Everything You Need to Know

The Qatar national team, after its World Cup debut in 2022, continues its journey with the goal of establishing itself on the international stage

The Qatari national team experienced its first World Cup in 2022 when it hosted the tournament. Although it did not manage to advance past the group stage, it left its mark in history by becoming the first country in the region to host a World Cup.

Now, with that recent experience, the team will seek to continue growing and take advantage of the international exposure it gained less than four years ago. The team aspires to transform that debut into a starting point to establish itself on the global stage and demonstrate that its football project can take a step further.

🛣️ Road to the World Cup 2026

Qatar qualified for the 2026 World Cup with 14 points in the third round of the AFC qualifiers, securing one of the eight direct spots that Asia has. It is the first time they have qualified thru the qualifiers, after participating in 2022 as hosts.

📊Quick Facts

Confederation: AFC
FIFA Ranking (April 2026): 55th place
World Cup participations: 2 (2022 and 2026)
Best result: Group Stage

📜 History in the World Cup

The history of Qatar in the World Cups begins in 2022, when it participated for the first time as a host and became the first Arab country to organize the World Cup. In 2026, it reached its second appearance, this time through sports qualification in the AFC qualifiers, consolidating its place in the international tournament and adding continuity in the top competition.

📋 Squad

🌟 Players to follow

Akram Afif (29 years old, Al Sadd SC): creative forward and offensive reference.
Almoez Ali (29 years old, Al Duhail SC): all-time top scorer for the national team.
qHassan Al-Haydos (35 years old, Al Sadd SC): captain and leader with extensive international experience

🧩 Key team factors

Strength: offensive dynamics led by Akram Afif and Almoez Ali; ability to create imbalance in attack and leadership of Hassan Al-Haydos as a reference point.
Weakness: less experience in high-pressure situations and a defense that seeks to solidify against higher-ranked opponents.
Playing style: bets on a compact block and quick transitions; emphasis on collective play and leveraging group cohesion to compete in their second World Cup appearance.

📅 World Cup Matches

Group B

June 13th – Qatar vs Switzerland – 4:00 p.m.

June 18th – Canada vs Qatar – 7:00 p.m.

June 24th – Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Qatar – 4:00 p.m.

🎯 Objectives in the tournament

Qatar's goal in the 2026 World Cup is to consolidate its international presence after debuting in 2022 as the host, leveraging the experience gained and the sports qualification achieved in the AFC. The main goal is to compete solidly in the group stage and, for the first time, aim to advance to the knockout stage.