Akram Afif and Al-Haydos lead Qatar in the 2026 World Cup
Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui announced the final list for the Qatar national team to participate in the 2026 World Cup finals, which is led by "Annabi" star Akram Afif along with veteran captain Hassan Al-Haydos.
Coach Julen Lopetegui relied on a group of elements who had previously experienced the 2022 World Cup, when the country hosted the tournament and bid farewell to the competitions from the group stage, including defender Pedro Miguel, goalkeeper Mishal Barshim, and midfielders Assem Madbou, Abdelaziz Hatem and Karim Boudiaf.
The list witnessed the presence of promising striker Tahseen Mohammed (19 years old), a player of Al-Duhail Club, in a move that reflects the desire of the technical staff to inject new blood within the group.
Qatar national team final squad:
Goalkeeping:
Salah Zakaria, Mahmoud Abundi, and Mishal Barshim.
Defenders:
Al-Hashimi Hussein, Ayoub Alaoui, Boualem Khoukhi, Pedro Miguel, Issa Lai, Lucas Mendez, Sultan Al-Breik, Humam Al-Amin.
Midfield:
Mohamed Al-Mannai, Jassim Jaber, Karim Boudiaf, Ahmed Fathy, Abdelaziz Hatem, Assem Madbou.
Forwards:
Tahseen Mohamed, Edmilson Jr., Almoez Ali, Akram Afif, Mohamed Muntari, Yousef Abdel Razek, Ahmed Alaa, Hassan Al-Haydos, Ahmed Al-Janhi.
The Qatari national team plays in the Canada group
The Qatari national team continues its preparations for the World Cup through a preparatory camp in Santa Barbara, California, where the Qatar Football Association chose this city because of the mild climate and advanced sports infrastructure, which provides the best conditions for physical and technical preparation before the start of competitions.
Al-Annabi is making his second appearance in the World Cup finals, within Group B, as he begins his campaign against Switzerland on June 13, which beat Jordan in a friendly 4-1 yesterday , before meeting Canada, one of the host countries of the World Cup, on June 19, and concluding the group stage with a strong match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 24.