The FIFA website published an extensive report on the qualification and participation of our first national team in the 2026 World Cup. The report included an overview of Al-Anabi’s history in the World Cup qualifiers and in the World Cup, where it is participating for the second time after hosting the 2022 World Cup, in addition to glimpses of its new Spanish coach, Julen Lopetegui, and the Al-Anabi group.
Initially, the report indicated that Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup finals in an exceptional experience that combined careful organization and high-level hospitality, through which Doha presented an integrated version that established the region’s presence on the global stage. The first appearance of “Al Annabi” in the finals was a turning point in which the players gained valuable experience from facing the elite teams on their home soil and among their fans.
The Qatar national team is preparing to write a new chapter in its history after qualifying for the 2026 World Cup through the Asian qualifiers, this time through field effort, not hosting advantage. With a generation that combines experience and ambition, the team aspires to confirm that its appearance in 2022 was the beginning of a sustainable path on the big stage.
Spaniard Julen Lopetegui took over the leadership of Al-Anabi in May 2025, leading them a few months later to qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals, in an achievement considered the first of its kind for Qatar through the qualifiers. His selection was an extension of the development approach followed by the Qatari Federation, benefiting from his long experience in coaching major teams and clubs.
Qatar’s first participation in the World Cup
As the opening whistle sounded at Al Bayt Stadium, in the presence of more than 67,000 fans, Qatar was on a date with history. The first appearance in the World Cup on its home soil and among its fans, amid a festive atmosphere in which football carried the message of a country that lived the dream for years until it became a reality.
The team of former Spanish coach Felix Sanchez Bas began their campaign against Ecuador in the opening match, losing 2-0 on a night characterized by the natural dread of the beginning. In the second round at Al Thumama Stadium, he faced Senegal with greater toughness and presented a better offensive performance, but he did not survive the 1-3 loss to the African champions. In the final match against the Netherlands, runners-up in the 2010 finals, the team tried to emerge in an honorable manner, but European experience tipped the balance in the favor of the “windmills” with goals by Cody Jacobo and Frenkie de Jong.
Qatar ended its first participation in the tournament in the group stage without points, but it gained something more valuable than the results: a realistic experience against football schools from three continents, which formed the cornerstone of a continuous development path that led it four years later to qualify through the qualifiers for the 26th World Cup.
Schedule of matches for Annabi in the World Cup
June 13: Qatar vs. Switzerland – Francisco Bay Arena
June 18: Canada vs. Qatar – BC Place Vancouver
June 24: Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales vs Qatar – Seattle Stadium