Asian champions Qatar will take part in this year’s Concacaf Gold Cup for the second time as a guest side. Al Annabi made debut in the tournament in 2021 and displayed remarkable performance, reaching the semi-finals where they lost to eventual champions USA.
The tournament is competed among teams from North and Central America, and the Caribbean. This year’s edition will take place from June 16 to July 16 with Concacaf announcing 15 stadiums will host matches in 14 US and Canadian metropolitan areas.
The draw for the 16-team tournament took place at SoFi Stadium, in Inglewood, California on Friday placing Qatar in Group B along with Mexico, Haiti and Honduras. It will be the first major test for veteran Carlos Queiroz, who became the national coach earlier this year replacing Felix Sanchez after Al Annabi’s debut in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The tournament will help Qatar prepare for the Asian Cup which the country will host early next year from January 12 to February 10, 2024. Qatar will defend their title they won in 2019 in the UAE. The Asian Cup official draw ceremony will take place at the world-renowned Katara Opera House in Doha on May 11. Qatar have been allocated the first position in Pot 1 along with Asian giants Japan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Korea Republic, Australia and Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, country’s domestic football is coming close to an end with last three weeks witnessing thrilling action among the Qatari clubs. Al Duhail have already clinched this season’s Ooredoo Cup and Qatar Cup trophies after beating Umm Salal and Al Sadd respectively in the finals.
The Amir Cup quarter-finals which were played last week saw exciting action and shocking results. Al Duhail, who were seeking a trophy clean sweep this season were knocked out by Al Sailiya on penalties while Second Division side Al Shahania shocked Al Gharafa, also after the penalty shootout. But Al Sadd remained on course for a record-extending 19th Amir Cup crown with a win over Umm Salal in their quarter-final. The Wolves will meet Al Shahania in the semi-final on April 24 while Al Sailiya face Al Arabi the following day. The scheduled of the final is yet to be announced.
The QNB Stars League – country’s top flight is also nearing an an end with Al Arabi taking a two-point lead over Al Duhail, who have one delayed match remaining. Al Duhail were beaten by Al Gharafa in their Week 19 match on Friday. The battle for the Falcon Shield is expected to go down to the wire with team coaches urging their players to stay focused in remaining games.
