Nation dossier · Group B · Eliminated
Qatar
State of Qatar
Latest Bosnia & Herzegovina 3–1 Qatar · Group B
Title probability
0.0%
as of 2026-06-25
Overview
Qatar arrive at their first qualified World Cup carrying both the prestige of back-to-back Asian Cup titles (2019 and 2023) and the burden of a chastening home tournament in 2022, where the hosts exited without a point. The core that conquered Asia remains, blended with fresher legs as the federation pushes its Aspire-built generation toward maturity.
Form has been encouraging in continental competition, where Qatar's slick, technical football consistently outclasses regional rivals. The bigger question is whether that quality translates against the elite — but momentum, cohesion and a settled domestic-based spine give them a genuine platform.
Ambition is measured: simply competing and claiming a maiden World Cup point or win would mark progress, with the knockout dream a long shot but not impossible in a 48-team format.
Capital
Doha
Population
2,700,000
Confederation
AFC
FIFA code
QAT
From Wikipedia
State of Qatar fields one of the 48 national teams contesting the 2026 FIFA World Cup across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia →Squad
- 178caps
Saad Al Sheeb
Al Sadd · Veteran Asian Cup winner
- 2118caps
Yousef Hassan
Al Gharafa · Agile back-up option
- 2245caps
Meshaal Barsham
Al Sadd · Reliable shot-stopper and leader
- 270caps
Pedro Miguel
Al Sadd · Naturalized attacking full-back
- 375caps
Tarek Salman
Al Sadd · Versatile central defender
- 460caps
Bassam Al Rawi
Al Duhail · Set-piece specialist defender
- 528caps
Mohammed Waad
Al Sadd · Emerging center-back prospect
- 1222caps
Jassem Gaber
Al Arabi · Solid squad defender
- 1335caps
Ro-Ro
Al Sadd · Tough-tackling right defender
- 1442caps
Homam Ahmed
Al Gharafa · Energetic left-back overlap
- 1595caps
Boualem Khoukhi
Al Sadd · Composed defender with goal threat
- 658caps
Assim Madibo
Al Duhail · Tenacious ball-winning anchor
- 830caps
Mostafa Tarek Meshaal
Al Sadd · Tidy passing metronome
- 10175caps
Hassan Al Haydos
Al Sadd · Captain and creative talisman
- 1624caps
Ahmed Fathy
Al Sadd · Dynamic young midfielder
- 1790caps
Karim Boudiaf
Al Duhail · Midfield engine and shield
- 1840caps
Mohammed Muntari
Al Duhail · Powerful attacking presence
- 2365caps
Abdulaziz Hatem
Al Rayyan · Box-to-box midfield runner
- 738caps
Yusuf Abdurisag
Al Sadd · Pacey direct wide threat
- 920caps
Khalid Muneer
Al Wakrah · Mobile young striker option
- 11110caps
Akram Afif
Al Sadd · Star winger and matchwinner
- 19105caps
Almoez Ali
Al Duhail · Record goalscorer and finisher
- 2048caps
Ahmed Alaaeldin
Al Gharafa · Tireless wing runner
Model
as of 2026-06-25Exp. points
1.00
Proj. finish
40.5
Seed Elo
1640
Title-probability trajectory
Champion chance across the last 14 snapshots
Matches
History
2022
Did not qualify / Group stage
Culture
Football culture
Domestic football revolves around the Qatar Stars League, with powerhouses Al Sadd and Al Duhail supplying most national-team players. Passion runs deepest around the national side, especially after its Asian Cup triumphs galvanised local pride.
Did you know
- Qatar was the first Middle Eastern and Arab nation to host a World Cup.
- The 2022 final group exit made them the worst-performing host in history.
- Aspire Academy is one of the largest sporting academies on the planet.
- Qatar are back-to-back AFC Asian Cup champions (2019, 2023).
- Akram Afif scored a stunning hat-trick of penalties in the 2023 Asian Cup final.