How will Qatar fare at the 2026 World Cup?

World cup 2026

The World Cup is edging closer and closer, meaning that football fans around the world are getting more excited about the prospect of their country prospering on the biggest stage in the world. However, one country that has made it for the first time through qualifying after hosting the event last time out is Qatar.

Qatar fans are ready for the tournament and will be hoping their best players stay fit as the tournament approaches. However, will Qatar do their nation proud at the latest World Cup?

How did Qatar qualify?

Qatar have succeeded in qualifying for the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada, but they had to go the distance by going to the fourth round of qualifying but they overcame the UAE thanks to second-half headers from Boualem Khoukhi and Pedro Miguel.

The country were hoping to qualify after the first round in group A but fell short by finishing fourth, however, in the fourth round of qualifying, a draw with Oman and a win over UAE, Qatar were left jubilant at being back in the World Cup for the second time in their history.

The question remains, will they perform better than they did in 2022?

Qatar in the World Cup 2022

After being chosen to be the hosts, Qatar hosted the biggest event in the world and put on a show for the rest of the world. With reservations about the moving of the World Cup to the winter, fans were quickly on board when they saw how well Qatar hosted the whole tournament.

However, it was not amazing for the Qatari fans who suffered three losses out of three in their group stage games but there was some joy when Mohammed Muntari got Qatar back in the game against Senegal yet it was to no avail.

Qatar may have not performed well on the pitch but it will not stop fans travelling in their thousands to North America and they will be looking for World Cup tickets on Ticket-Compare.com.

What will Qatar need to do to succeed at the World Cup?

The expectation for Qatar to succeed at the World Cup is not there due to bigger nations participating at the World Cup but Qatari fans will be hoping to make it out of the group at this second time of asking.

Without the draw and Qatar not knowing who they will be playing yet, there is an uncertainty but anticipation of who will they be facing in June. With the draw taking place on 5th December, all Qatar fans will be glued to their screens, radios and phones waiting to find out who they will play in the group stage. Yet if they are to go through into the next round, what do they need to do?

1. TIghten up at the back

Even though Qatar have made it through, they have done it the hard way and conceded too many goals in qualification. Qatar conceded 24 goals in just ten games including a 5-0 loss to UAE in Group A of the Asian qualification section.

If Qatar are going to continue to defend that way in the tournament then there will be no chance that they will make the next round of the tournament.

2. Keep Akram Afif fit

The legendary striker is the key to success for Qatar and he will be hoping to be the hero for his country. He scored four goals in qualification but has 41 goals for his country so far and will be hoping to add to it on the biggest stage. However, it was his assists that he will be most proud of as he contributed 11 assists.

With European experience having played for Villarreal and Sporting Gijon in his senior career, he will know how European defenders will defend in North America. It could be a huge advantage having that knowledge in his arsenal.

3. Avoid relying on counter attacks

The idea will be to defend as well as they can especially agaisnt the bigger nations but relying on the counter attack too much will lead to them being dominated. This happened in the 2022 World Cup but Julen Lopetegui has a wealth of experience and will not let himself get outwitted by other nations.

4. Embrace the underdog status

There is always some surprise outfits at the World Cup and this year maybe the biggest opportunity for an underdog to succeed leading to the question why cannot it not be Qatar?

When teams are classed as underdogs then they can use that ability to surprise teams by throwing it all on their opponents. We have seen it in the past with Bulgaria in 1994, Senegal in 2002 and Morrocco in 2022, Qatar have a real opportunity to do something for their nations.

5. Use the winning mentality from AFC Asian Cup wins

The Asian cup wins in 2019 and 2023 live long in the memory of Qatari fans and it is something they will be hoping can bring success in North America.

Many of the 2023 winners will be there int he World Cup squad and will be hoping they can go on to become the best Qatari squad at the World Cup.