The Qatar national football team represents Qatar in international football and is controlled by the Qatar Football Association and the AFC. The team has participated in ten Asian Cup tournaments and won it once in 2019. They play their home games at Khalifa International Stadium and Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. The latter is considered the team’s home stadium. Qatar Football History.
Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup and will therefore automatically qualify for what will be their first appearance at the finals. This will be the first time that an Arab country will host the competition.
2000-2010
They made it to the quarter-finals of the 2000 Asian Cup despite finishing third in their group but lost to China in their quarter-final match.
They reached the final qualifying round again in 2001 but were beaten by Bora Milutinovic’s China team, who topped the section to progress to their first FIFA World Cup. France’s Philippe Troussier took over as manager after the 2002 World Cups in Korea and Japan but failed in both the 2004 Asian Cup and the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign in Germany.
Coaching of 2010 World Cup
Coaching the team in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup fell into the hands of Jorge Fossati, who led the team through the first and second AFC rounds until the third round. After leaving the top of their group with just two matches played, Fossati had to undergo abdominal surgery. Subsequently, the Qatar Football Association ended its association with him in September 2008, as the QFA claimed that he needed too much time to recover from surgery. Bruno Matso was called up for the job, but Qatar failed to qualify after finishing fourth in their qualifying group.
Qatar host the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Qatar was announced as the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in December 2010.
In 2011, as hosts of the 2011 Asian Cup, they reached the quarter-finals. They lost 2–3 to eventual champions Japan after Masahiko Inoha’s goal in the 89th minute.
As hosts, they won the 2014 WAFF Championship, defeating Jordan 2–0 in the final. The competition consisted mainly of youth and reserve teams, of which the Qatari team was the latter. As a result of the positive performance of the team, the head coach of the B team, Djamal Belmadi, appointed Fahad Thani as the head coach of the senior team. 10 months later, Djamal Belmadi led Qatar to the gold medal at the 2014 Gulf Cup.
They advanced from the group stage after three draws, beating Oman 3–1 in the semi-finals, and winning 2–2 in the final against Saudi Arabia, playing in front of a home crowd.
Gulf Cup
Despite winning the Gulf Cup and ending 2014 with just one defeat, Qatar had poor form at the 2015 Asian Cup. Qatar was defeated by UAE 1-4 in their first match. It continued with losses to Iran 0–1 and Bahrain 1–2. Qatar exited the group stage without any points and finished fourth in Group C.
Qatar’s campaign to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia was a surprise. They have had an almost perfect start to the second round of World Cup qualifying in the AFC, with seven wins and just one loss. However, their success in the second round did not make it to the third round. Qatar finished bottom of their group, ensuring they will play their first World Cup match on home soil in 2022, the first team to do so since Italy in 1934.
2017 Gulf Cup
Qatar continued its poor form in the 2017 Gulf Cup which was host by Kuwait. Qatar opened the tournament with a 4–0 win over Yemen but was follow by a 1–2 loss to Iraq and a 1–1 draw with Bahrain. And Qatar finished third in Group B with four points and was eliminate in the group stage of the competition, which was consider the upset of the tournament, especially after winning the 2014 edition.
However, Qatar had an impressive campaign in the 2019 Asian Cup. Their opener saw them beat Lebanon 2-0. This was follow by a 6-0 thrashing of North Korea and a 2-0 win over three-time champions Saudi Arabia. Which sealed the team’s top spot in the group. They won 1-0 against Iraq in the round of 16 and a late win against defending runners-up South Korea in the quarter-finals saw them progress to the semi-finals for the first time, where they beat the hosts. The UAE will set up a 4-0 lead against 4-time winners Japan in the final. Qatar Football History.
Qatar won the final 3–1 over Japan, marking their first major tournament title in their history. And ending one of the most improbable Asian Cup runs in the history of the tournament. As he scored only one goal in all his games.
2019 Copa America
Qatar was invite to the 2019 Copa America. They were place in Group B along with Colombia, Argentina, and Paraguay. Their first game was against Paraguay, where they came back from 2–0 down to draw 2–2. But Qatar conceded more than one goal in a major competition for the first time since winning the Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates. Had to face Colombia and then suffered a 0–1 defeat, ending the team’s unbeaten streak in any major competition to eight. A 0-2 defeat to Argentina meant that Qatar finish last in Group B with one point. And was eliminate in the group stage of the competition.
Qatar was invite to the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup for the first time. They played in Group D alongside Honduras, Panama, and Grenada.
2020 UEFA
In December 2020, UEFA invited Qatar to play friendly matches in Group A of the 2022 World Cup qualifying group against Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, and Serbia as five teams in a group meant that one team would not play. On any match day. These friendlies were not count in the qualifying group standings. Qatar played their “home” matches in Europe to allow shorter travel times for their opponents. Qatar Football History.
CONCACAF Gold Cup
At the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Qatar claimed 7 points in Group D. He made his debut in a 3–3 draw against Panama, securing his first point. A 4–0 victory over Grenada and a 2–0 win over Honduras then ensured a place in the quarter-finals. Where they would face El Salvador, with a 3–2 win over the United States in the semi-finals.
However, against the hosts, whose squad consists of mostly MLS players. Qatar fails to find the net despite being award a penalty in the 60th minute. Ultimately conceding to a late goal by Gyasi Zardes. Finished the campaign with one. 1-0 loss. Qatar Football History.
At the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, Qatar won all of their group stage matches and faced the UAE, winning 5–0. They lost 2–1 in the semi-final against Algeria. For more details click here