Qatar Starts Road to 2026 World Cup Against UAE - A Preview
The journey begins for Qatar
Qatar will begin their quest to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup when they face the United Arab Emirates in a Group E qualifier on November 9th, 2023 at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha. The match will be their first competitive fixture since their disappointing exit from the 2022 World Cup at the group stage. Qatar will be hoping to perform better this time around, and they will need to start strongly in their qualification campaign.
Can Qatar cope with the pressure?
Qatar will be under a lot of pressure to perform in this match as they will be expected to beat the UAE, who are ranked 70th in the FIFA World Rankings, 64 places below Qatar. The UAE have not qualified for a World Cup since 1990, so Qatar will be confident of getting a positive result, although the UAE themselves will provide a stern test for Felix Sanchez's side.
Experienced Qatar squad
Qatar have a squad with plenty of experience at international level, with many of their players having featured in the 2022 World Cup. The team is captained by Hassan Al-Haydos, who has over 150 caps for his country. Other key players include Akram Afif, Almoez Ali, and Pedro Miguel, so Qatar do have the quality to progress through a tough qualification group.
A tough group for Qatar
Qatar have been drawn in a tough group for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. They will face the UAE, Lebanon, Bangladesh, and India in Group E. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the next round of qualifying, so Qatar will need to finish in the top two in order to progress. They should be able to get out of the group but it will not be easy for them.
What to expect from the match
The match between Qatar and the UAE is expected to be a close encounter. The UAE will be looking to make a statement and show that they are capable of qualifying for the World Cup. Qatar, on the other hand, will be looking to start their campaign with a win and lay down a marker for the rest of the group. The match is likely to be decided by small margins, and it could go either way.
Conclusion
Qatar will be hoping to start their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a win when they face the UAE on Novermber 9th. The match is expected to be a close encounter, but Qatar will be confident of getting a positive result. A win would give them a great start to their campaign and put them in a strong position to qualify for the next round, but Felix Sanchez and his team will be wary of the threat posed by the UAE.
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