Young Qatar side held by resilient Afghanistan

Saudi Arabia: A compact Afghanistan put up a stubborn performance to hold a young Qatar side 0-0 in their joint qualification Round 2 Group A match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 at the Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Stadium in Al Hasa, Saudi Arabia on Thursday. The result took Afghanistan to five points, level with India and one ahead of Kuwait with Qatar having already earned qualification into round 3 of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Afghanistan play Kuwait on Tuesday with India facing Qatar in what promises to be an exciting finale to Group A. Qatar coach Marquez Lopez picked a squad with an average age of 23 – a mix of senior, U-23 and U-19 players. Al Duhail’s Tahsin Mohamed was handed a debut as he became the first ever Qatari senior international of Indian origin. Afghanistan were content to press high, be patient, close in the gaps, sticking together to absorb the pressure, not allowing a new-look Qatari side to break free. Nevertheless, Qatar had their first chance in the 12th minute when Abdullah al-Yazidi unleashed an effort from inside the 18-yard box, but his attempt sailed over. Afghanistan were forced into a substitution in the 23rd minute as Rahmat Akbari picked up an injury and was substituted by Jamshed Asekzai. Enjoying more ball possession, Qatar were willing to play it around, and all over. They came close in the 40th minute when Ahmed Alrawi feinted down the left, entered the 18-yard box but a horde of Afghan defenders, desperate and chasing, prevented him from finding Ibrahim al-Hassan. Three minutes later, Afghan goalkeeper Ovays Azizi stooped down to collect a vicious cross preventing Qatar from making any impact. Azizi was again in the thick of action in added time, diving to his left to palm away Alrawi’s free-kick from outside the box which was awarded after captain Haroon handled the ball. Immediately after the resumption, Qatar earned a corner but they weren’t able to capitalise. The two-time AFC Asian Cup champions by now were attacking with all thrust forcing Afghanistan to defend deep, and as the game progressed, the Central Asian had to rely on counter-attacks to break down the opposition. Qatar came close to opening the scoring in the 57th minute only to be denied by the woodwork – Tahsin Jamshid’s header off Mahdi Salem’s cross bouncing off the post. Desperate to break the deadlock, Qatar brought made three substitutions in the 73rd minute – Hazem Shehata coming in for Homam Ahmed, Yusuf Abdurisag replacing Ibrahim al-Hassan and Abdullah Alahraksubstituting Naif al-Hadrami. Afghanistan were not to be deterred. They did have a close shave in added time when Yusuf Abdurisag failed to head it in off a Mohamed Gouda cross, but managed to hold on and will go into their tie against Kuwait knowing victory will take them through to the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup Finals for the first time.  

Qatar reach AVC Challenge Cup semis

Manama: Qatar qualified for the semi-finals of the Asian Men’s Challenge Cup after defeating China 25-19, 25-19, 25-19 at Isa Sports City Hall in Bahrain on Thursday. Meanwhile, in the other quarter-finals, Kazakhstan beat Australia 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-21) while Pakistan prevailed over Vietnam 3-2 (19-25, 27-25, 25-23, 21-25, 15-12).  South Korea defeated hosts and last year’s runners-up Bahrain 3-2 (26-24, 32-20, 22-25, 22-25, 15-12).

Team Qatar to participate in Ostrava Elite16

Doha: Team Qatar beach volleyball duo of Cherif Younousse & Ahmed Tijan will participate in the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Ostrava Elite16 which began on June 06.  After almost 17 months of traveling around the world and battling for points, the race to qualify for the Paris 2024 Games through the FIVB Olympic Rankings comes to an end this week at the Ostrava Elite16. At the conclusion of the Czech event, on Sunday, the 17 men’s and women’s teams that secured their spots at the Olympics for their countries via the Rankings will be known, bringing to an end the longest and most competitive qualification pathway.  

Qatar to take on China in Asian Challenge Cup Quarterfinals

Manama: The Qatari volleyball team will take on China on Thursday, in the quarterfinals of the Asian Volleyball Challenge Cup, which is currently being held in Bahrain until June 10.  In their Group C match, the Qatari team dominated from the start, winning the first set 25-17 in 24 minutes, and maintaining their momentum to win the second and third sets 25-15 and 25-17, respectively.   

Four Qataris selected to join Asian aquatics confederation's committees

Doha: The Asia Aquatics announced the names of the heads and members of the federation’s committees for the new term. Four Qatari candidates have been selected from the Qatar Swimming Federation to join the Asian Aquatics Confederation's committees, with Ali Al Jaber chosen as a member of the Swimming Technical Committee, Mohammed Al Shaib as Chairman of the Coaches Committee, Abdulaziz Al Janahi as a member of the Diving Technical Committee, and Nasser Al Nuaimi as a member of the Open Water Technical Committee.  

Qatar’s young squad aim for victory against Afghanistan

Doha: It will be a new-look Qatar squad that takes to the pitch against Afghanistan on Thursday in the joint qualification match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027. The two-time AFC Asian Cup champions have opted to rest several key players for their concluding matches in Group A, having already confirmed berths in the third round of World Cup qualifiers and a place in the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. Akram Afif and Almoez Ali will be among the absentees on Thursday at the Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Stadium in Al Hasa, Saudi Arabia as head coach Marquez Lopez looks to expose younger players ahead of their third round challenge in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers. On the eve of the match, Lopez emphasised that match against Afghanistan is crucial for the development of young players. “The match is important for our team, and we seek to win it without a doubt to complete the series of victories, especially with the young players selected for the match, after we rested a large group of players,” the Spaniard. He highlighted the opportunity to see new players in action, underlining the importance of this match as a stepping stone towards their long-term goals, including the final round of the World Cup qualifiers. Al Rayyan midfielder Nayef al-Hadrami echoed Lopez’s sentiments, noting the significance of the match for the newly selected players. The inexperience in Qatar squad might just provide Afghanistan with the opportunity to get the win they need to boost their hopes of advancing past the second round. Head coach Ashley Westwood will urge his players to believe in themselves in their bid to create history by advancing to the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and sealing a maiden appearance at the AFC Asian Cup. Meanwhile, India and Afghanistan are on four points, with Kuwait one adrift. India and Kuwait will be equally determined to take maximum points when they face off at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium in Kolkata on Thursday. India edged the reverse fixture 1-0 back in November and Igor Stimac’s side will be confident of another three points in what will be talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri’s final international match. Head coach Igor Stimac has described the tie as the most important match for India in three decades. “India never could achieve the third round in the World Cup Qualifiers. Having the very opportunity to be in that position is an achievement by itself,” Stimac said to Indian media. “Reaching there (Round 3) will be another step in Indian football history. It will be an amazing thing to have the opportunity to play another 10 games against the best Asian teams and dream big about trying to reach the biggest stage of football.” Kuwait, however, will do their best to derail India’s dream with the West Asian side’s fate still very much in their own hands. With Afghanistan their opponents in the final Group A fixture, wins for Kuwait in their concluding matches will see them finishing second behind Qatar.