Today, our first national football team is playing a decisive and fateful confrontation by meeting its Iranian counterpart in the ninth and penultimate round in the first group of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, in which there is no alternative to victory in order to ensure the presence of the fourth stage of the qualifiers and the completion of the competition for one of the qualification cards.
The fateful match will start at the ninth and quarter of this evening at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Al -Sad Club, and Al Annabi is playing with 10 points in fourth place, while Iran is in first place and the lead with 20 points and ensured the official qualification to the World Cup since the last round.
Although there is a final match in Al -Annabi qualifiers with Uzbekistan next Tuesday in Tashkent, his match today with Iran is crucial for many reasons, the most important of which is that it is on its stadium and between its fans and the opportunity to win it is greater than any other opportunity, and the victory in today’s meeting with Iran will be sufficient, God willing, to ensure qualification to the fourth stage, regardless of the results of other competitors, whether the UAE that precedes our team with three points, or Kyrgyzstan that is away from him Four points.
Today, the match today is crucial to not guarantee what will happen in the Uzbekistan match with the Emirates, which if it ended with the loss of Uzbekistan, the confrontation with it will be very strong and difficult, and therefore the match today is decisive and fateful for our team, and winning it will ensure its presence in the fourth stage, whatever the results of others.
Today’s match is not only fateful, but it is also difficult, strong and very difficult, although some believe that it will be easy, given that Iran has guaranteed qualification even if it lost, but on the contrary, the Iranian team is a strong team and has its reputation and name, and he wants to confirm its qualification with more victories.
This does not mean that the Iranian team is difficult to win, but it means that the task needs a great effort and a level befitting in the name of Al -Annabi, the champion of the continent since 2019, and the first Arab team to host the World Cup 2022, and also means the necessity of dealing strongly and seriously with the opponent and excelling it as in the penultimate meeting between them in Doha 2023 in the Asian Cup. We believe that al -Annabi, if it appeared with its natural and known level, and if it is restored to its performance, will be able to win and resolve its qualification with the fourth stage.
Our team is in a position that is not allowed to lose
In his report on the match, the Asian Football Confederation website said that Al-Annabi, after the last loss against Kyrgyzstan, 1-3 in the eighth round, has become in a situation that does not allow him to lose more points, as it must end the group in at least fourth to ensure qualification to the continental supplement, which gives two additional cards to the World Cup.
For the new Spanish coach, Lopetegui, the match is an early and real test to measure the team’s readiness before the annex is running. Lopetegui had previously supervised the training of Spain and Real Madrid, and hoped to restore discipline and effectiveness to the Qatari squad.
Afif, Al -iz and the hopes of the masses
The presence of Akram Afif, captain of Al -Annabi and Al -Wasat, Al -Mu’az Ali, the top scorer and the goals of our team, gives a kind of reassurance to the fans of the team in the crucial confrontation today, and she hopes that Akram Afif will continue to shine with Al -Annabi after he starred with the dam and after he achieved the title of best player in Qatar for the fifth time, and you also hope that Al -Mu’az will regain his scoring capabilities and shake the Iranian nets. The masses also attach hopes to the rest of the attackers, such as Ahmed Al -Rawi, Edeson Junior, Mohamed Montari and Abdel Rahman Mustafa.
An important role for defense
There is no doubt that Al -Annabi needs to be victory only in today’s match, and therefore his focus will be in the first place on the offensive side, yet the defense led by Boualam, Salman and Pedro have an important role in the today’s match with great focus with the attackers of the Iranian team and not to leave empty spaces in our field and deal with them strongly away from roughness or make mistakes in front of the penalty area.
A great effort to the middle
The return of the middle of the middle with a guest, Madebo, and Abdel Aziz Hatem, confirming that there is no way to doubt the interest of Al -Annabi coach in this vital area and the presence of experienced players and high fitness players capable of addressing the Iranian community and is able to support and support the defense and attack at the same time.
The speed of apostates
Despite Iran officially qualified for the World Cup, and despite its lead in the group, it does not venture with the attack, especially outside its stadium, so it has only scored 16 goals, which is the same number of goals of Annabi, and it depends primarily on rapid rebounds, especially since its players are characterized by great speed. Al -Annabi should not neglect this dangerous aspect of the Iranian team
Saudi Al -Huwaish runs the match
The AFC Referees Committee appointed a Saudi referees team to manage the Al -Annabi match and his Iranian counterpart. The meeting will be led by Saudi international referee Mohammed Al -Huwaish, and Al -Shammari Zaid is assisted by a first assistant referee and Sultan Yasser Al -Abdullah as a second assistant referee, as the fourth referee’s task was assigned in the meeting to Saudi Al -Hanafoush Hussein, and the “Al -Far” video room is present in the “Al -Far”, the two Saudi rulers, Abdullah Dhafer,