Qatar’s “Asian Champion” halo—really not enough to cut it at the World Cup

Qatar was the champion of the Asian Cup for two consecutive editions in 2019 and 2023. In Asia, they are indeed a top-tier force. But once it comes to the World Cup, the identity of “Asian champions” really doesn’t look like much.

In the last 2022 Qatar-hosted World Cup, they lost all three group-stage matches at home and were eliminated. Although this time they managed to secure the first World Cup points in their team history by snatching an equalizer against Switzerland in the 94th minute in the opening round, that goal was an own goal—not a chance they created themselves. Qatar had only 6 shots in the entire match, with a possession rate as low as 32%, and just 8 touches inside the opponent’s penalty area. Put simply, they were rubbed up by Switzerland for 90 minutes, and only ended up with a point thanks to luck.

Qatar’s squad problems are also very obvious—too old. The front three are Afif (29), Ali (29), and Abduli Sagar (26). It doesn’t sound that old, but compared with when this group won the Asian Cup in 2019, they’ve already peaked. And over the years, Qatar hasn’t produced any standout new players that really catch the eye. The veterans have plenty of experience, but their stamina and explosiveness are on the decline.

Qatar’s head coach, Lopetegui, has a solid reputation, having coached Spain and Real Madrid. But this ball-control, penetration-based style works well in the Asian Cup—when they face teams like Canada, which are strong in physical confrontations and quick in pace, can they really play that way? The opening match against Switzerland already proved it: they had a higher possession rate (57%) than Canada, yet there were only a handful of truly threatening attacks. Being able to control the ball doesn’t mean you can control the game.

I’m not saying Qatar has absolutely no chance. Their defensive discipline is indeed quite good, and the 5-4-1 setup is also fairly hard to break down. But if they want to grind through 90 minutes by relying on defense—against a home team like Canada, with extremely strong attacking pressure—can they really hold up? I think it’s doubtful.

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