Qatar has announced its full 26-player squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It’s the second time the country has qualified for the FIFA World Cup. They first qualified four years ago as tournament hosts but failed to advance past the group stage.
Head coach Julen Lopetegui announced the squad earlier today. The captain and leader of the team is Hassan Al-Haydos. The 35-year-old Al-Sadd forward is also the player with the most caps (188) for his country. Another important player on the squad is Almoez Ali. The Al-Duhail striker is Qatar’s all-time top scorer with 60 goals. Other key players in the squad are Boualem Khoukhi (Al-Sadd), Abdulaziz Hatem (Al-Rayyan), Karim Boudiaf (Al-Duhail), and Akram Afif (Al-Sadd).
The official squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ has been announced.🌟
#AlAnnabi #AllForQatar 🇶🇦 #FIFAWorldCup 🏆
Full Squad Qatar For The 2026 FIFA World Cup
Goalkeepers: Meshaal Barsham (Al-Sadd), Mahmoud Abunada (Al-Rayyan), Salah Zakaria (Al-Duhail)
Defenders: Pedro Miguel (Al-Sadd), Boualem Khoukhi (Al-Sadd), Lucas Mendes (Al-Wakrah), Sultan Al Brake (Al-Duhail), Al-Hashmi Al-Hussain (Al-Arabi), Ayoub Al-Oui (Al-Gharafa), Homam Ahmed (Cultural Leonesa), Issa Laye (Al-Arabi)
Midfielders: Ahmed Fathy (Al-Arabi), Jassem Gaber (Al-Rayyan), Assim Madibo (Al-Wakrah), Abdulaziz Hatem (Al-Rayyan), Karim Boudiaf (Al-Duhail), Mohamed Al-Mannai (Al-Shamal)
Forwards: Akram Afif (Al-Sadd), Almoez Ali (Al-Duhail), Mohammed Muntari (Al-Gharafa), Hassan Al-Haydos (Al-Sadd), Edmílson Junior (Al-Duhail), Ahmed Al-Ganehi (Al-Gharafa), Ahmed Alaaeldin (Al-Rayyan), Yusuf Abdurisag (Al-Wakrah), Tahsin Jamshid (Al-Duhail)
Qualification For The 2026 FIFA World Cup
To qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Qatar started in a group with Kuwait, India, and Afghanistan. The two top teams in the group would proceed to the third qualifying round. Qatar cruised to an 8-1 victory over Afghanistan in their opener, with all-time top scorer Almoez Ali firing home four goals. The Qataris had zero to no trouble with their opponents. Only Afghanistan managed to hold Qatar to a goalless draw in the second match. Qatar took 16 points out of six games and proceeded as group winner to the third qualifying round. The Qataris were drawn in a group with Iran, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan, and North Korea. After four games, Qatar had only gotten four points. On November 14, 2025, Lucas Mendes netted the winner in a vital 3-2 home victory against Uzbekistan.
But five days later, direct rival, the United Arab Emirates, beat them 5-0. Qatar managed to beat North Korea but ran into trouble after losing to Kyrgyzstan. However, on June 5, 2025, Qatar rose to the occasion and beat group leaders Iran at home. That victory secured them fourth place in the group. While the top two teams earned a direct ticket, third and fourth place proceeded to the fourth round of qualification. In that fourth round, Qatar played a mini-tournament at home against the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Following a goalless draw against Oman, Qatar had to defeat the United Arab Emirates to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as the Emiratis had already beaten Oman. Against all odds, Qatar beat the UAE 2-1 within 90 minutes. Having lost both previous encounters in the third round, they claimed victory when it mattered most, punching their ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
2026 FIFA World Cup
Qatar landed in Group B. The Qataris open their World Cup on June 13 in Santa Clara, California, where they will take on Switzerland. Five days later, they will travel to Vancouver, BC, Canada, where host Canada is the opponent. Qatar faces Bosnia and Herzegovina in Seattle, Washington, for their final group stage match on June 24. The two group winners and the eight best third-placed teams from each group will advance to the next stage.
Qatar Schedule
- June 13 – Switzerland (3 pm EST)
- June 18 – Canada (6 pm EST)
- June 24 – Bosnia and Herzegovina (3 pm EST)
Qatar Announces Squad for 2026 FIFA World Cup