Qatar are at their second World Cup and their first as actual qualifiers — a 2-1 win over UAE in Doha last October sealed the AFC fourth-round group ahead of the side's 2022 host-nation campaign. Spaniard Julen Lopetegui took over in May 2025; back-to-back Asian Cup champions and 2024 AFC Player of the Year Akram Afif lead a squad facing Switzerland, Canada and Bosnia in Group B.
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Qatar are in Group B at World Cup 2026 alongside Switzerland, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Levi’s Stadium opener against Switzerland on 13 June is Qatar’s most winnable fixture on paper, with the co-host Canada game in Vancouver as the group’s defining moment. Lopetegui needs three points across the three matches to give Qatar a serious shot at the round of 32 under the 48-team format.
| Date | Match | Venue | Kick-off (UK) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jun 2026 | Qatar vs Switzerland | Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara | 20:00 BST | — |
| 18 Jun 2026 | Canada vs Qatar | BC Place, Vancouver | 23:00 BST | — |
| 24 Jun 2026 | Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Qatar | Lumen Field, Seattle | 20:00 BST | — |
The squad below reflects Lopetegui’s October 2025 selection for the AFC fourth-round qualifiers. Akram Afif and Almoez Ali anchor an attack that has now won back-to-back Asian Cups; Karim Boudiaf, Hassan Al-Haydos and Boualem Khoukhi provide the experience from the 2022 World Cup squad. Final 26-man tournament squad to be confirmed in late May 2026.
| No. | Player | Club | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meshaal Barsham | Al Sadd | 28 |
| 22 | Saad Al Sheeb | Al Sadd | 36 |
| 12 | Salah Zakaria | Al Wakrah | 29 |
| No. | Player | Club | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Pedro Miguel | Al Rayyan | 35 |
| 4 | Tarek Salman | Al Sadd | 27 |
| 3 | Boualem Khoukhi | Al-Arabi | 35 |
| 5 | Bassam Al-Rawi | Al Duhail | 28 |
| 14 | Homam Ahmed | Al Gharafa | 27 |
| 15 | Sultan Al Brake | Al-Wakrah | 24 |
| 6 | Abdelkarim Hassan | Al Arabi | 32 |
| 13 | Musab Khoder | Al Sadd | 32 |
| No. | Player | Club | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Karim Boudiaf | Al Duhail | 35 |
| 16 | Hassan Al-Haydos | Al Sadd | 35 |
| 8 | Mostafa Mishaal | Al Sadd | 22 |
| 17 | Hashim Ali | Al Duhail | 24 |
| 18 | Khaled Mohammed | Al Sadd | 22 |
| 21 | Ahmed Fathi | Al Wakrah | 23 |
| 24 | Tameem Al-Muhaza | Al Sadd | 19 |
| No. | Player | Club | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Akram Afif (c) | Al Sadd | 29 |
| 19 | Almoez Ali | Al Duhail | 30 |
| 9 | Yusuf Abdurisag | Al Sadd | 26 |
| 20 | Ahmed Alaaeldin | Al Gharafa | 33 |
| 7 | Mohammed Muntari | Al Duhail | 32 |
| 25 | Lucas Mendes | Al Sadd | 25 |
Lopetegui has imposed the same possession-based 4-3-3 he used at Spain, Real Madrid, Sevilla and Wolves: build patiently from the back with Boudiaf as the deep-lying screen, Al-Haydos and Mishaal shuttling, and the front three given license to swap. Akram Afif starts on the left as the system’s chief creator and finisher; Almoez Ali leads the line. Against Canada and Bosnia expect a deeper mid-block and counter-attacks through Afif’s combinations.
The defining strength is squad continuity and tournament experience. Twelve of Lopetegui’s first XI featured at the 2022 World Cup as hosts; the same core then won back-to-back AFC Asian Cup titles in 2019 and 2024. Akram Afif’s eight-goal Asian Cup 2024 form, including a hat-trick of penalties in the 3-1 final win over Jordan, marks him as the side’s defining moment-maker — he is the player whom the entire 4-3-3 is built to find on the left.
The weakness is goal-scoring outside of Afif and Almoez Ali. Qatar managed just three goals across the AFC fourth round — both qualifying-decisive strikes against UAE coming from defenders (Khoukhi and Pedro Miguel headers). Up against Switzerland’s organised back line, a Canada side galvanised by home support and a settled Bosnia midfield, the team lacks a third reliable scoring outlet if the captain is shadowed.
Predicted starting XI — 4-3-3. Captain: Akram Afif.
Lopetegui took the Qatar job in May 2025 after Felix Sanchez Bas’s interim stint and Marquez Lopez’s December 2024 departure. The 59-year-old former Spain head coach (2018), Real Madrid manager and most recently West Ham boss arrives with elite-level European experience and a clear identity — possession football, pressing triggers, structured shape. His brief is direct: get Qatar through to the round of 32 under the new 48-team format and avoid the host-nation embarrassment of 2022.
Afif captains Qatar from the left wing and is the most decorated Asian footballer of the past two cycles — back-to-back AFC Asian Cup winner in 2019 and 2024, the 2024 final hat-trick scorer (all penalties) and the 2024 AFC Player of the Year. The 29-year-old Al Sadd forward has now passed 100 international caps and is the system’s chief creator, finisher and emotional leader.
The reigning AFC Player of the Year and 2024 Asian Cup top scorer. Eight goals in the 2024 tournament including the hat-trick of penalties in the 3-1 final win over Jordan. Qatar’s primary creator and finisher — the team is built around his combinations on the left flank.
Qatar’s record goalscorer on 50-plus international goals. The 30-year-old won the 2019 Asian Cup Golden Boot with nine goals in seven matches and remains the focal-point centre-forward Lopetegui builds around. A name worth a hard look in the Golden Boot market at a triple-figure outsider’s price.
The 35-year-old French-born defensive midfielder who has anchored Qatar’s midfield for over a decade. Two Asian Cups, the 2022 World Cup, and the metronome between Lopetegui’s defence and attack — without him, the press becomes a 4-2-3-1 makeshift.
Iraqi-born centre-back who moved to Qatar’s youth system at 16 and is now the leader of the back four. Composed on the ball, strong in the air, and the senior partner alongside Tarek Salman in the centre of defence.
Twenty-two-year-old midfielder who has emerged under Lopetegui as the heir apparent to Boudiaf. Energy, tackling and progressive carries; expected to start ahead of older alternatives in the high-tempo Bosnia closer.
Qatar finished fourth in the AFC third round (Group A) in mid-2025 and missed direct qualification, dropping into the fourth-round mini-tournament — the campaign that ultimately cost Marquez Lopez the manager’s job. Lopetegui took over in May 2025 and steered them through the fourth round in October: a 0-0 away draw at Oman on 8 October, followed by a 2-1 home win over UAE on 14 October that sealed top spot in Group A and direct qualification.
The decisive evening at Khalifa International Stadium produced the standout result of the campaign. Boualem Khoukhi headed Qatar in front in the 50th minute; Pedro Miguel doubled the lead with another header from a corner; UAE pulled one back late but couldn’t find the equaliser. The first time Qatar had ever advanced through proper World Cup qualifying after eight failed attempts between 1990 and 2018.
| Played (R4) | 2 |
|---|---|
| Won | 1 |
| Drawn | 1 |
| Lost | 0 |
| Goals for | 2 |
| Goals against | 1 |
| Top scorer (R4) | Boualem Khoukhi / Pedro Miguel (1 goal each) |
Qatar’s World Cup history is short but significant. They were the only debutants at the 2022 tournament and became the first hosts to make their World Cup debut since Italy in 1934 — and the first host nation in tournament history to lose all three group-stage matches (0-2 Ecuador, 1-3 Senegal, 0-2 Netherlands). Off the back of that came back-to-back Asian Cup triumphs and a renewed assault on World Cup qualification under Lopetegui.
Three moments anchor the timeline: the 2019 Asian Cup final (Qatar 3-1 Japan, Almoez Ali’s nine-goal Golden Boot), the 2022 World Cup opener at Al Bayt Stadium (Qatar 0-2 Ecuador, the first World Cup match in the Middle East), and the 2024 Asian Cup final (Qatar 3-1 Jordan, Akram Afif’s hat-trick of penalties to retain the continental crown). The 2026 tournament is the next chapter for a programme that has gone from host-nation hopefuls to consistent Asian heavyweights.
| Year | Host | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Qatar | Group stage |
| 2026 | USA / Canada / Mexico | TBD |
Last five senior internationals (most recent first):
Qatar’s planned March 2026 friendlies against Argentina and Serbia were cancelled and replaced with a domestic training camp, leaving the team to enter the tournament with limited recent competitive action against high-end opposition. The 4-1 home defeat to Russia in September was the warning shot of how vulnerable Qatar can be against Europe-level transitions.
Qatar are 500/1 with bet365 to win the tournament — long odds reflecting bookmaker scepticism about the AFC’s lower-ranked qualifiers under the 48-team format. The 5/2 to qualify from Group B is the most realistic market: the bookmakers have priced Switzerland and Canada as the favourites to advance, leaving Qatar in a coin-flip with Bosnia for any third-place playoff route. Full pricing is in the World Cup winner odds hub.
| Market | Best price | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| To win World Cup 2026 | 500/1 | bet365 |
| To win Group B | 12/1 | bet365 |
| To qualify from Group B | 5/2 | bet365 |
| To reach the quarter-final | 25/1 | bet365 |
| To reach the semi-final | 100/1 | bet365 |
| To reach the Final | 250/1 | bet365 |
Odds correct as of 5 May 2026 and subject to change. For the full World Cup 2026 outright market, group winners and golden-boot specials, see our World Cup 2026 betting hub.
Two previous senior meetings, both Switzerland wins. Switzerland 1-0 Qatar in a March 2018 friendly in Lugano (Breel Embolo goal); Switzerland 4-0 Qatar in a November 2022 World Cup warm-up in Doha. The Levi’s Stadium fixture on 13 June will be the first competitive meeting.
No senior meetings between the two sides on record. The BC Place fixture on 18 June will be the first.
No senior meetings between the two sides on record. The Lumen Field fixture on 24 June will be the first.
Odds in this article are correct at the time of writing and are subject to change. Always check the latest prices on the bookmaker’s site before placing a bet.
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Akram Afif, the Al Sadd left winger, captains Qatar at World Cup 2026. He is the reigning AFC Player of the Year (2024) and the top scorer of the 2024 Asian Cup with eight goals.
Julen Lopetegui has managed Qatar since May 2025. The 59-year-old Spaniard previously coached Spain, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Wolves and West Ham, and replaced Marquez Lopez at the start of the AFC fourth-round qualifying campaign.
Qatar are in Group B alongside Switzerland, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Qatar open against Switzerland on 13 June 2026 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Kick-off is 12:00 PT — that is 20:00 BST for UK viewers.
Qatar are 500/1 with bet365 to win the World Cup outright as of 5 May 2026 — among the longest-priced sides in the tournament.
Yes. Qatar made their World Cup debut as hosts in 2022, where they were drawn in Group A with Ecuador, Senegal and the Netherlands. They lost all three group games — the only host nation in World Cup history to do so. The 2026 tournament is their first appearance through proper qualification.
Qatar won the AFC Asian Cup most recently in February 2024, beating Jordan 3-1 in the Lusail final with Akram Afif’s hat-trick of penalties. They also won the 2019 edition (3-1 over Japan), making them the first nation in 20 years to win back-to-back Asian Cup titles.
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