2026 WORLD CUP GROUP B PREVIEW: Qatar

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Alexandre Gangue-Ruzic is previewing all of the teams in Group B. Here's a look at Qatar. 

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The lowdown: 

FIFA Ranking: #57

Elo Ranking: #97

Head coach: Julen Lopetegui

Number of World Cups: 2 (2022, 2026)

Best World Cup result: Group Stage (2022)

After hosting the world for this tournament in 2022, Qatar have returned to the big dance for a second straight World Cup, as they built on the groundwork they’ve laid over the past decade with a solid qualifying campaign. 

Yet, unlike in 2022, when they reached their first World Cup by virtue of being hosts, they’ve had to properly earn their way back to this stage, as they managed to navigate an expanded World Cup qualifying field in the AFC. 

Now, they’re looking to build on what they learned in 2022, where they put up a good account of themselves but got a look at how difficult it can be to play at this level, as they were unable to pick up a point in a tough group with the Netherlands, Sénégal and Ecuador. 

Back-to-back champions of the AFC Asian Cup, which they won in 2019 and 2023, they’ve proven capable of shining in big tournaments - can they now provide a shock in their return to the world’s biggest tournament this summer? 

How they got here:

As is often the case for teams in AFC, it was an arduous World Cup qualifying campaign for Qatar, who took the long route to North America. 

They opened qualifiers in the second round, where they found themselves in a group with Kuwait, India and Afghanistan, and they cruised through that group with five wins and a draw to reach the third round. 

There, though, things got tough for them, as they got drawn into a group with Iran, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea. As a result, Qatar finished well off the top two spots needed to automatically qualify for the World Cup at that stage, finishing in fourth place with 13 points (eight points off second-place Uzbekistan). 

Luckily for them, however, that was enough to send them to the fourth round, where six teams were left to battle for two more automatic spots, and that is where Qatar found their rhythm, as they beat the UAE and tied Oman to win their group and book their ticket to North America without any further drama. 

With that, they were able to accomplish the mission that they had set out to do, and that’s qualify automatically, showing the fruits of the work they had put in on the road to 2022, proving that what they accomplished in the lead-up and aftermath of that tournament was no fluke. 

How they’ll play:

Preferred formation: 4-2-3-1

Led by Spanish head coach Julen Lopetegui, Qatar want to play a possession-based style whenever possible, although they’ve also shown a willingness to play directly if needed. 

Because of that, they’ve averaged over 54% possession since Lopetegui took over, typically completing at least five passes per possession. They’ve struggled to turn that possession into chances, as they’ve averaged less than nine shots per game and just 0.73 xG, but that hasn’t stopped them from wanting to put their foot on the ball when possible. 

To their credit, they’ve got some good numbers on set-pieces, as they’ve generated a shot on over 42% of their corners and 32% of their free-kicks, and are solid on crosses, completing 36.4% of their 11.89 attempts they average. 

Meanwhile, defensively, they’ve had their issues, as they’ve conceded almost two goals per game on average despite allowing only 1.24 xG and 10 shots per game on average - showing that they can be susceptible to big breakdowns at the back.

Yet, that all paints a picture of what Qatar will want to do well, which is to get on the ball and turn that into dangerous chances. Can they do that while staying solid at the back? With that in mind, they might have to employ a hybrid approach, one where they bunker a bit more defensively before putting their foot on the ball when winning it back. 

Then, if their scoring woes persist, set-pieces will become crucial - something to watch given the physical nature of all of the teams in this group. 

Players to watch: 

Qatar have brought an extremely old team to this tournament, as they’ve got 11 players 30 or older in their squad, including six (!) players who are 35. With just five players 24 or younger, Qatar will be leaning heavily on their experienced players to shine in a big way, which might be a tough task considering the physical demands this tournament will place on teams. 

To overcome that, though, Qatar will lean on their familiarity, which, on the flipside, might be their best attribute - 25 out of 26 of their players are contracted to Qatari sides, with Al-Duhail (6 players), Al-Sadd (5 players) and Al-Rayyan (4 players) leading the way. Along with the fact that they’ve got six players with over 100 caps and six others who have over 50 caps, that experience and familiarity with each other will be crucial. 

As for the squad, goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham, who has 52 caps, will play a big role, as he backstopped this side to the 2023 Asian Cup triumph and throughout World Cup qualifying, showing why he’s a two-time Goalkeeper of the Year winner in the Qatari league during his lengthy spell with Al-Sadd. 

At the back, Boualem Khoukhi is a key piece, as the Al-Sadd defender has 116 caps - the two-time Asian Cup champion is a strong presence in both boxes, given that he also has an impressive 20 goals to his name with his country (fourth among players named to this Qatar squad). 

Meanwhile, in midfield, the big name to watch is Qatar’s star player, Akram Afif, as the Al-Sadd attacking midfielder is second on this team in caps with 125, and has scored 40 goals and added 50 assists across that span. There’s no doubt about the two-time AFC Player of the Year’s ability to step up in big moments - he played a big role in both Asian Cup triumphs, so look for Afif, who can play anywhere in attack, to be central to anything Qatar can do in this tournament. 

Lastly, up front, Almoez Ali remains a name to watch as Qatar’s all-time leading scorer, sitting with 55 goals. After a quiet, injury-filled club campaign, he’ll want to have a good tournament, especially after earning a red card in Qatar’s pre-World Cup matchup against Ireland (which could affect his availability to start this tournament).

Tournament expectations: 

At first glance, given that this is just their second World Cup, it feels safe to suggest that just winning their first game at the tournament is a big goal for Qatar, but at the same time, given their status as two-time defending Asian Cup champions, could they not dream of more? 

On paper, they could’ve gotten themselves a much harder draw, especially compared to the group that they had in 2022, so it’s not as if the idea of winning a game and qualifying for the knockout stage should be so far-fetched given what they’re capable of on their day.  

Because of that, while most will write them off as the walkover team in this group, Qatar will internally feel capable of pushing to the knockout stages - and with this new forgiving group stage format, that’s not an unrealistic goal for them to have, as picking up one win might be enough for them to achieve that. 

One big question: 

Can Qatar put their poor form behind them? 

Since Lopetegui was hired, Qatar have won just one game (ironically, the game that got them to the World Cup, against the UAE), as they’ve had a poor run of form over the past 12 months - which is largely why most have written them off heading into this World Cup. In particular, flaming out in the group stages of the Arab Cup will have been seen as a big failure given that they were unable to win a single game at that tournament despite playing as hosts.