2021’s Practice Makes Perfect for Qatar National Football Team

The Qatari National Football Team currently sits at number 58 in the 2021 FIFA ranking (as of February 18th) - up from 59th place in late 2020. The team is the 5th highest-ranked team in Asia out of 46 squads, with only Japan (27), Iran (29), South Korea (38) and Australia (41) ahead. Though the country’s world ranking has had peaks and troughs since FIFA records began in 1992 (Qatar was at its highest, 52nd, in 1992 and its lowest, 112th, in 2010), the last decade has seen some positive changes. Since 2017, in conjunction with manager Félix Sánchez Bas taking over at the helm, the team has been on a relatively steady climb in status and grade; the pinnacle being its first continental win, the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, which pushed the team up to a ranking of 55. 

The current Qatari squad, many of whom have played together for over five years and made their way through Qatar’s prestigious Aspire Sports Academy together, will be hoping to increase its ranking and create an international splash at the 2022 World Cup. It will be Qatar’s first appearance at the world’s biggest sports event and, even though it qualified as hosts, the nation will undoubtedly be hoping to show its mettle on the worldwide stage. In order to prepare for the big event, the Qatari team will be taking to the field to match and practice its skills against a host of international competition throughout 2021 as they join the UEFA 2022 World Cup qualifiers and the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament.

UEFA 2022 World Cup Qualifiers

UEFA has invited the Qatar national team to join them as they play out the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Joining Group A, alongside Portugal, Serbia, the Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg and Azerbaijan, the Qatari’s will benefit from experiencing European style football - Europe, one of the world’s biggest powerhouses of football, is known for its disciplined, defensive, efficient, team play.  

The tournament, which will run from March 2021 to March 2022, will, all things being equal and no more COVID-delays, see Qatar battle it out according to the following schedule:

• Matchday 1, March 24th: Qatar vs Luxembourg (home)
• Matchday 2, March 27th: Qatar vs Azerbaijan (home)
• Matchday 3, March 30th: Republic of Ireland vs Qatar (away)
• Matchday 4, September 1st: Qatar vs Serbia (home)
• Matchday 5, September 4th: Qatar vs Portugal (home)
• Matchday 6, September 7th: Luxembourg vs Qatar (away)
• Matchday 7, October 8th: Portugal vs Qatar (away)
• Matchday 8, October 12th: Qatar vs Republic of Ireland (home)
• Matchday 9, November 11th: Serbia vs Qatar (away)
• Matchday 10, November 14th: Azerbaijan vs Qatar (away)

Qatar has, as hosts of the next FIFA World Cup, already qualified for the 2022 tournament. As such, any results involving the Qatari team will not count towards qualification. The Europeans will play every game against Qatar at ‘home’ regardless of whether it is a home or an away match against the Arabs. This arrangement will help to reduce travel fatigue for the European players who will be counting every point towards qualifying. 

The Qataris will be hoping for good results against their European counterparts, essentially to give the team a confidence boost in the lead up to the 2022 games. So, how do we think they will fare based on current FIFA rankings? Portugal, who sit 5th in the table, will be Qatar’s biggest adversaries. The Portuguese team has been ranked in the world’s Top 20 best teams consistently since 2000 and boast various top players within their ranks, including one of the world’s best players Cristiano Ronaldo. Next to challenge Qatar are the Serbians. 30th in the current FIFA ranking, Serbia has improved its game significantly since 2015 when it was ranked just 56th. Playing consistently well over recent years, matches against the Serbian’s may prove an uphill struggle for the Qataris. Against the Republic of Ireland, Qatar should make an impact. The Irish squad, ranked at 43, have struggled in the last few years to maintain form. And, facing off against Luxembourg and Azerbaijan, Qatar should, on paper, lead the pack. Luxembourg, 98th, and Azerbaijan, 108th, have both struggled to improve their game in recent times.

CONCACAF 2021 Gold Cup

The confederation of North, Central and Caribbean football, CONCACAF has also invited the Qatar national team to participate in the 2021 Gold Cup as guests. The Qataris have been drawn into Group D against Grenada, Honduras and Panama. It will be the first time a team from outside of the confederation has played in the Cup since 2005 and only the second team from Asia. The main aim of joining the tournament is for the Qataris to test and expand their experience outside of the Middle East and Asian regions. Honduras and Panama, who sit 64th and 78th, respectively, in the 2021 FIFA rankings, have both experienced World Cup tournaments previously and are relative powerhouse teams within their region. Both teams also count players from top leagues in Europe amongst their team players. The Qatari squad will have its work cut out against either opponent. 

If Qatar finishes either as winners or runners-up in Group D, the team will have the opportunity to advance to the Cup's quarter-finals. The quarter-finals matches would see the squad pitted against the winners or runners-up of Group A, which includes global powerhouse, Mexico (ranked 9th in the world), El Salvador (70) and Curaçao (76) and the winner of the tournament's preliminary matches. The preliminaries are held between the third-placed teams (leagues A, B and C) of the 2019/20 CONCACAF Nations League - if Qatar made it to the quarter-finals, they might be up against either Cuba, Guyana, Montserrat or Trinidad and Tobago.

Copa America

Unfortunately, Qatar has had to pull out of its planned foray into the Copa America in June/July. The national team was due to meet Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela in matches across nine cities in Argentina and Columbia. However, the AFC Asian World Cup qualifiers, which were due to start in March 2021, have been postponed until May/June due to the coronavirus pandemic creating a logistical clash. The cancellation will come as a blow to the Qatari squad, who will undoubtedly have benefitted from the experience. However, having played in the 2019 Copa America against Argentina, Columbia and Paraguay, the Qataris have, at least, encountered South America's flamboyant, free-flowing, attack focused style of play.

Best Foot Forward

Qatar's automatic qualification to the 2022 FIFA World Cup is a golden opportunity and one that the national team have chosen to capitalise on. The UEFA World Cup qualifiers and the CONCACAF Gold Cup will help the squad maximise the strides they have made in recent years. The standard of play at these two events will be high, and the Qataris will be able to flex their muscles to see how far they have come and how far they need to push themselves before the 2022 kick-off. The experience in terms of competitive international play and style will be invaluable. By the start of the 2022 tournament, spectators should be ready to watch a very competent Qatari team at work.