Spaniard Julen Lopetegui, coach of the first Qatari national football team, announced today the list of players invited to play in the friendly match against the Zimbabwe national team scheduled for November 17, at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.
The friendly confrontation comes within the framework of the Qatari national team’s preparations to participate in the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025, which Qatar will host from December 1 to 18.
The list included 26 players, including three goalkeepers: Mishal Barshim, Mahmoud Abu Nada, and Shihab Al-Laithi, in addition to the players: Ahmed Al-Janhi, Ahmed Al-Rawi, Ahmed Suhail, Ahmed Fathi, Ahmed Alaa, Al-Hashemi Al-Hussein, Ayoub Muhammad, Tahseen Muhammad, Jassim Jaber, Khaled Ali, Khaled Muhammad, Sultan Al-Buraik, Tariq Salman, Asim Madbou, and Lucas Mendez. Muhammad Khaled, Muhammad Manai, Muhammad Muntari, Muhammad Waad, Mustafa Tariq, Nabil Irfan, Hammam Al-Amin, and Youssef Ayman.
The list witnessed some changes, with the absence of some of the basic elements that recorded a noticeable presence with the team during its journey, which led to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup finals.
Among the most prominent players absent from the upcoming friendly match are Almoez Ali, Akram Afif, Edmilson Jr., Pedro Miguel, Boualem Khoukhi, Karim Boudiaf, and Abdelaziz Hatem.
The draw for the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 placed the Qatari team in the first group alongside the teams: Tunisia, the winner of the two matches (Syria and South Sudan), Palestine, and Libya.