Qatar to play Bahrain and Russia in friendlies in Doha ahead of crucial Asian Qualifiers Playoffs for FIFA World Cup 2026

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August 6, 2025
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6-August-2025

Qatar to play Bahrain and Russia in friendlies in Doha ahead of crucial Asian Qualifiers Playoffs for FIFA World Cup 2026

Doha: The Qatar national football team will play two international friendlies against Bahrain and Russia in September as part of their preparations for the fourth round (play-offs) of the Asian qualifiers for FIFA World Cup 2026, the Qatar Football Association has announced.

Team Qatar will face Bahrain in the first match on Tuesday, September 3, at the Al Thumama Stadium, before meeting Russia on Saturday, September 7, at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.

Qatar is scheduled to host Group A matches of the Asian Qualifiers Play-off, where Team Qatar will face Oman on October 8, and meet the UAE on the 14th of the same month at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.

The upcoming two friendly matches represent an important technical opportunity for the technical staff, led by coach Julen Lopetegui, to assess players’ readiness and prepare an ideal squad before the crucial qualifiers.

Qatar advanced to the playoffs after finishing fourth in Group A of the third round of the Asian Qualifiers. Qatar players recently trained under Spanish coach Lopetegui at an overseas camp in Austria.

Qatar are seeking a second consecutive FIFA World Cup appearance following their debut as hosts in 2022. Meanwhile, UAE are hoping for a second appearance at the Finals following their debut in the 1990 edition.

In the Playoffs, the winners of two of the three-team groups, which will be played in October, will join already-qualified Australia, Japan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Iran and Jordan at next year’s expanded 48-nation finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The nations finishing in second place in each group will advance to a further round of qualifying, which will be held over two legs in November on a home-and-away basis.

Asia has been granted eight guaranteed berths at the FIFA World Cup Finals. A possible ninth berth is available to the winner of November’s match-up via an intercontinental playoff in March.

Ahead of Team Qatar’s overseas camp in Austria, coach Lopetegui had announced a 30-man roster featuring several notable changes. Al Sadd midfielder Guilherme Torres earned his first national team call-up, while former captain Hassan Al Haydos returned to the side for the qualifiers.

Veteran goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb was left out, with Marwan Sharif and Shehab Al Laithi brought in.

The list also included two fresh defensive additions: Youssef Ayman (Al Duhail) and Abdullah Al Yazidi (Al Sadd). The four goalkeepers picked were Meshaal Barsham, Salah Zakaria, Marwan Sharif, and

Al Laithi. Other key players in the team are Akram Afif, Almoez Ali, Boualem Khoukhi, Karim Boudiaf, and Pedro Miguel.