On November 20, Qatar will become the first nation to participate in the FIFA World Cup for the first time as the host nation, making history. In December 2010, FIFA made the announcement that Qatar would host the 2022 World Cup, drawing interest from soccer fans to the Gulf state.
However, football had already been recognized as a game in the nation for a very long time. The Qatar Football Association (QFA) was established in 1960, and three years later it joined FIFA. The Qatari team made its first impression at the Gulf Cup in 1984 whenever it reached the final but lost to Iraq on penalties after spending the previous 20 years losing the majority of their international games.
Qatar had never previously prepared for the World Cup, but they came very close on several occasions. After placing 3rd in the final round of qualifying for the 1990 World Cup, they were eliminated from contention for France in 1998 after loosing their final playoff to Saudi Arabia.
As hosts of the Asian Games, Qatar won the gold medal, continuing their advancement at the continental and regional levels throughout the 2000s. The Annabi’s greatest accomplishment, nevertheless, came in 2019, when they became the first team to ever win the Asian Cup.
Qatar had a strong group stage performance at the tournament in the UAE, winning all three matches and scoring ten goals.
In the round of 16, they overcame Iraq with a lot of effort. They then edged out South Korea in the quarterfinals and destroyed UAE in the semifinals.
Star forward Almoez Ali gave Qatar the lead early in the final, and a solid defense led by goalkeeper Saad al-Sheeb helped the team triumph 3-1. They scored 19 goals during the tournament and only let up one in the championship game.
Fans welcomed the team home as heroes, which increased their anticipation for the World Cup. Results have been inconsistent since the victory in 2019. For the 2019 Copa America, Qatar was invited in order to offer top-notch global exposure.
They drew one game and drew three.
Qatar has participated in a number of AFC world cup qualifying groups and the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where it advanced to the semifinals. The Annabi finished third at the Gulf Cup and went on to earn their highest FIFA rating of 48 last year.
Qatar’s supporters will be hopeful that their club can take advantage of the home advantage and challenge for the knockout stages given its subsequent rise in international football.
Felix Sanchez, the head coach of Qatar, will rely on the solid defense, which is anchored by goalkeeper al-Sheeb, to maintain unblemished records. Given that he was the team’s top scorer during its Asian Cup victory, Ali’s performance will be crucial to Qatar’s chances of scoring. Additionally, the center of Qatar’s attack is composed of the wings Akram Afif and Hassan al-Haydos.
The Asian Cup champion coach acknowledges that the World Cup’s level of competition would be distinct from all other competitions his side has played in and that it won’t be simple for them to advance. In the tournament, we’re in for some challenging matches, Sanchez stated recently. We’ll play against extremely capable sides that are accustomed to competing in the World Cup.
As the team prepares to face Ecuador (November 20), Senegal (November 25), and the Netherlands in group play, Sanchez has emphasized the value of having home support behind the team (November 29).
During the World Cup, Qatar will benefit from the support of the crowd since it will inspire the athletes to give their all.
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