Qatar squad for FIFA World Cup 2022: Akram Afif, Hassan Al-Haydos make 26-member team

The tournament host is playing at the World Cup for the first time and face Ecuador in the opening match on November 20. Qatar will also meet Senegal and the Netherlands in Group A.

Published : Nov 11, 2022 23:33 IST

Qatar coach Felix Sanchez (centre) leads a training session for the Qatar National Team at the Jassim bin Hamad stadium in the capital Doha on October 2, 2022.
Qatar coach Felix Sanchez (centre) leads a training session for the Qatar National Team at the Jassim bin Hamad stadium in the capital Doha on October 2, 2022. | Photo Credit: AFP
infoIcon

Qatar coach Felix Sanchez (centre) leads a training session for the Qatar National Team at the Jassim bin Hamad stadium in the capital Doha on October 2, 2022. | Photo Credit: AFP

Qatar coach Felix Sanchez selected a 26-man squad World Cup on Friday exclusively made up of home-based players led by attacking trio Akram Afif, Almoez Ali and Hassan Al-Haydos.

The tournament host is playing at the World Cup for the first time and face Ecuador in the opening match on November 20. Qatar will also meet Senegal and the Netherlands in Group A.

Sanchez and his players have been staying together in near-lockdown since June while holding training camps in Spain and Austria.

It is a similar approach to that of South Korea 20 years ago when the co-hosts made a shock run to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup.

Sanchez, who learned his trade over 10 years with Barcelona’s youth teams, guided Qatar to a 3-1 victory over Japan in the 2019 Asian Cup final for the country’s first major international title.

“In 2019, it was difficult to imagine that Qatar could win the Asian Cup,” Sanchez said recently in an interview with Spanish sports daily Marca.

“Obviously, I’m not talking about winning the World cup but to play at a good level against these three opponents is our challenge. Afterwards, it’s football and anything can happen.”

Qatar Squad:
Goalkeepers: Saad Al Sheeb, Meshaal Barsham, Yousuf Hassan.
Defenders: Pedro Miguel, Musaab Khidir, Tarek Salman, Bassam Al Rawi, Khoukhi Boualem, Abdelkarim Hassan,
Midfielders: Ismaeel Mohammad, Hommam Al Amin, Jassim Jabir, Ali Asad, Mohammed Waad, Salem Al Hajri, Assim Madibo, Mustafa Meshaal, Karim Boudiaf.
Forwards: Abdulaziz Hatim, Naif Al Hadhrami, Hassan Al Haydos, Akram Afif, Almeez Ali, Mohammed Muntari, Ahmed Alaa, Khalid Muneer.
Coach: Felix Sanchez
Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment