Qatar national football team head coach Julen Lopetegui has announced the official preliminary 26-player squad for the 2026 World Cup. This is Qatar’s second appearance in the FIFA World Cup after being the host and participating in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They defeated Argentina in the first game, creating an upset back in 2022. FIFA has announced that the 2026 World Cup will be played in a new format with 48 national teams arranged in 12 groups of four teams.
The group winners and runners-up from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the knockout stage. This increases the number of matches and opens additional possibilities for teams like Qatar. Qatar is placed in Group B and will face Bosnia & Herzegovina, Canada and Switzerland.
Striker Almoez Ali, the top scorer in the Asian qualifying for the World Cup with 12 goals, and star winger Akram Afif are two of Qatar's brightest players. Afif, along with defender Boualem Khoukhi, is the core of the team, with the duo having played every minute of their World Cup debut at home four years ago.
Qatar Fifa 2026 World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Shehab Ellethy (Al Shahania), Salah Zakaria (Al Duhail), Meshaal Barsham (Al Sadd), Mahmoud Abunada (Al Rayyan)
Defenders: Boualem Khoukhi (Al Sadd), Pedro Miguel (Al Sadd), Sultan Al-Brake (Al Duhail), Tarek Salman (Al Sadd), Al-Hashmi Al-Hussain (Al Arabi), Ayoub Al-Oui (Al Gharafa), Bassam Al-Rawi (Al Duhail), Rayyan Al-Ali (Al Gharafa), Issa Laye (Al Arabi), Lucas Mendy (Al Wakrah), Mohammed Waad (Al Shamal), Niall Mason (Qatar)
Midfielders: Ahmed Fathy (Al Arabi), Jassim Gaber (Al Rayyan), Assim Madibo (Al Wakrah), Abdulaziz Hatem (Al Rayyan), Karim Boudiaf (Al Duhail), Mohamed Al-Mannai (Al Shamal), Homam Al-Amin (Cultural Leonesa)
Forwards: Almoez Ali (Al Duhail), Akram Afif (Al Sadd), Tahsin Mohammed (Al Duhail), Edmílson Junior (Al Duhail), Ahmed Al-Ganehi (Al Gharafa), Ahmed Alaa (Al Rayyan), Sebastián Soria (Qatar), Hassan Al-Haydos (Al Sadd), Mubarak Shanan (Al Duhail), Mohammed Muntari(Al Gharafa), Yusuf Abdurisag (Al Wakrah)
