World Cup 2022 Team Preview - Qatar

Qatar's odds to win the World Cup

250/1

Best World Cup

2022 hosts 

2018 World Cup

Did not qualify

Qatar's World Cup Schedule

• Read a full Group A summary here

Road to Qatar

Much has been said about the contentious decision to grant the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, only to then discover that it is too hot there to play in the summer. So we are left with the first ever winter tournament that is also the first to be played in a country that has never previously competed in the finals. As hosts, Qatar qualified automatically, although they were obliged by the AFC to participate in the Asian qualifying stage as the first two rounds also acted as qualification for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. To be fair, they did win seven of their eight games, conceding just one goal along the way, but they are likely to find life a little tougher in Group A than they did against the likes of Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh and Oman.

Recent form

As automatic qualifiers, the hosts have had little meaningful competitive football in 2022 by which to measure their progress. Strong opposition has been difficult to find and in the summer they had to resort to playing Lazio and second string teams from Morocco, Ghana and Croatia. Another 2-0 loss to Canada highlighted Qatar's potential struggles, although a final 2-2 draw against Chile was more encouraging, as indeed were four straight wins over Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Albania in non-FIFA friendlies in late October and early November.

Qatar World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Saad Al-Sheeb (Al-Sadd), Meshaal Barsham (Al-Sadd), Yousef Hassan (Al-Gharafa)

Defenders: Pedro Miguel (Al-Sadd), Musaab Khidir (Al-Sadd), Tarek Salman (Al-Sadd), Bassam Al-Rawi (Al-Duhail), Boualem Khoukhi (Al-Sadd), Abdelkarim Hassan (Al-Sadd), Ismaeel Mohammad (Al-Duhail), Homam Ahmed (Al-Gharafa), Jassem Gaber (Al-Arabi)

Midfielders: Ali Asad (Al-Sadd), Assim Modibo (Al-Duhail), Mohammed Waad (Al-Sadd), Salem Al-Hajri (Al-Sadd), Moustafa Tarek (Al-Sadd), Karim Boudiaf (Al-Duhail), Abdelaziz Hatim (Al-Rayyan)

Forwards: Naif Alhadhrami (Al-Rayyan), Ahmed Alaaeldin (Al-Gharafa), Hassan Al-Haydos (Al-Sadd), Khalid Muneer (Al-Wakrah), Akram Afif (Al-Sadd), Almoez Ali (Al-Duhail), Mohamed Muntari (Al-Duhail)

Team Insights

Probable formation: 3-5-2. Head coach Felix Sanchez leans favourably towards a back three behind a compact middle five, leaving the likes of all-time top-scorer Hassan Al-Haydos, Akram Afif and Almoez Ali to spearhead any forays into the final third, but they are likely to be feeding off scraps, given the likelihood of limited quality possession for the Maroons. Saad Al Sheeb is likely to be one of the tournament’s busiest goalkeepers and much will rely on him to keep Qatar in games as long as possible. Any possibility of Qatar progressing (or even winning a game) will require a combination of disciplined cohesion and team spirit in front of their own fans. With a squad made up of largely unfamiliar names, Almoez Ali stands out as a key player after knocking in nine goals during their successful Asian Cup campaign three years ago, but much will depend on the service he receives and whether he can convert what few chances are likely to come his way. At the back Bassam Al-Rawi might catch the eye as an elegant defender who likes to bring the ball out, but he is likely to be too busy defending for large periods of the game to have much impact going forward.

World Cup prospects

Qatar's first game against Ecuador offers the host nation their best chance of celebrating a win, but beyond that they are unlikely to pose much of a threat to either Senegal or the Netherlands. The best they can probably hope for is to avoid a humiliating drubbing in either of those games, while individually, each player will have the opportunity to put themselves in the shop window for a potential lucrative move to a European club. Best hope: One goal, maybe even a win, followed by a short journey home before December

Read more about each of Qatar's Group A opponents:

Netherlands, Ecuador, Senegal