Qatar on the Brink of Elimination in the Arab Cup
Just like its Tunisian opponent, the Qatari team must win with a large score and hope that the Palestinians and Syrians do not neutralize each other. La Presse — Who would have believed it? Qatar, the host country for the second time in a row of the Arab Cup under the auspices of FIFA, twice crowned Asian Nations champion and semi-finalist in the previous edition, is on the verge of being eliminated in the first round.
The "Al Annabi" team, qualified for the 2026 World Cup and 51st in the FIFA rankings, has a reputation to defend in this 3rd and final day of Group A. The group of all surprises, where the hierarchy is so far inverted. Led by its star from Al Sadd, Akram Afif, an explosive and unpredictable attacker, Qatar, whose almost entire team plays in the country, will try to snatch a precious ticket to the quarterfinals.
Last in Group A, with 1 point and a negative goal difference, Qatar is in a unfavorable position and will have to produce a great performance to advance in the Arab tournament. With only 1 win in the last 9 matches, including friendlies, Qatar has lost its luster and is no longer a team to be particularly feared.
An Aging Team
Thus, the only victory achieved by the Qatari team in recent times was against the United Arab Emirates, which earned the "Grenats" a qualification to the 2026 World Cup. Coached by former Spain manager Julen Lopetegui, appointed in May 2025, Qatar has lost its effectiveness in the game, in addition to being fragile in defense. The 2 goals conceded in the final minutes against Palestine and Syria, which cost them 3 points, are a testament to this. The tactical scheme advocated by the Spanish coach is either 4-2-3-1, 4-1-4-1, or more rarely 4-4-2, depending on the opponent.
Valued at 30 million euros, Qatar commands respect with, in addition to Afif, valued at 7.5 million euros, the Brazilian naturalized player Edmilson Junior, who plays for Al Duhail and is estimated to be worth 2.6 million euros. However, this is also an aging team with its captain Hatem Ahmed, 35 years old, or the central defender Lucas Mendes, 35 years old, an Argentine naturalized player who played for OM in France from 2012 to 2014.
