Qatar will kick start their Gold Cup campaign early Monday morning with a match against Haiti, hoping to excel again as a guest side in the CONCACAF tournament. It will be Al Annabi’s first international assignment after the Gulf Cup in Iraq where the Qatar Football Association (QFA) sent majority of youngsters while resting seniors soon after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The Gold Cup, which is the first tournament for veteran Portuguese Carlos Queiroz as Qatar coach, is an important challenge for the reigning Asian champions as they look to bounce back from the World Cup heartbreak. Qatar fell several places in the FIFA world rankings post the football showpiece - now ranked 61st - and the Gold Cup offers them a chance to boost their ranking in what is deemed a crucial year by coach Queiroz.
When Qatar made their debut in the 16-team tournament that brings together national teams from North and Central America and the Caribbean, they reached the semi-finals losing to eventual champions America two years ago. Queiroz’s side will look to take a step further to regain confidence ahead of their important assignments in the coming months.
Qatar will launch their qualifying campaign for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in November this year, targeting to qualify for the first time after making their debut in the quadrennial tournament as hosts last year. They will also defend their Asian Cup title at home when continent’s premier international event will be held from January 12 to February 10, 2024.
Queiroz has said “it’s a dream and a goal for him” to successfully lead Qatar in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and the Asian Cup. For the Gold Cup task, the 70-year-old who led Iran to three World Cups, picked a new look squad while leaving out seniors including Hassan Al Haydos, Akram Afif, goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb, Boualem Khoukhi, Karim Boudiaf, Pedro Miguel and Abdulaziz Hatem.
The coach instead opted to inject the new blood in team and the Gold Cup is exactly “a new stage and a new ambition” – the slogan under which QFA launched promotional campaigns for the national team in several US cities ahead of their Group B matches.
Qatar will play their second match against Honduras on June 30 before meeting CONCACAF giants Mexico on July 3, hoping to enter the knockout stage of the tournament for the second consecutive time. A strong performance by the team comprising youngsters will be vital as it will put the side back on track and herald a bright future for Al Annabi.