Qatar just put the finishing touches on officially qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup! They achieved this historic milestone after a closely contested 2-1 win over the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The game was played during the fourth round of Asian qualification. Perhaps the biggest feat was that for the Qatari national team, it was their most historic achievement for qualifying to the World Cup, doing so through this qualification pathway for the very first time after hosting the tournament in 2022.
That changed dramatically in favor of Qatar right after halftime. Qatar’s Boualem Khoukhi leveled the match a minute after the break. He did so with great skill, heading in a free kick taken by Akram Afif and giving UAE goalkeeper Khalid Essa no chance. This initial goal would be a sign of things to come, as Qatar stamped their assertive tone on the match, pushing the pace against their opponents throughout.
Seventeen minutes before the final whistle, Qatar all but buried Iraq, going up 4-0. Pedro Miguel then made it 3-1 with another header, this time from an exquisite cross by Afif from the left flank. At 2-0, Qatar appeared to be running away with the game. That all changed dramatically when Tarek Salman received a straight red card in the 87th minute. This reduced Qatar to just ten players on the pitch.
Even when down a man, Qatar was able to keep their heads. UAE did manage to pull one back through Sultan Adil’s shot from inside the box, making it 2-1 in stoppage time. This last-minute effort was a testament to UAE’s determination, though it came too late to impact the result on the day.
Qatar’s win ensured they booked their place in the knockout round. It lifted them above UAE to the top of Group A. A draw would’ve been enough for the UAE to advance, but instead they’re out of the running completely.
This time around, Japan stole the biggest headlines with an upset of historical scales, beating Brazil for the first time ever. As a result, they executed an incredible comeback from two goals trailing, capping off the spectacular contest 3-2 in Tokyo. At the same time, South Korea registered an impressive 2-0 win against Paraguay in Seoul.
It’s been a turbulent qualification journey for Qatar. They are still in the shadow of having hosted the 2022 World Cup. Now, they have proved their competitiveness by qualifying for their place through their own performance. Oman are out after finishing third in their group and this adds to the dramatic picture of just how serious this qualification phase has been.
