Doha: A new-look Qatar side will take on Afghanistan in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 and FIFA World Cup 2026 joint qualifiers, with coach Marquez Lopez expecting a winning show from his young guns in Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia today. Following four straight victories in Group A, the Asian champions have already advanced to the third round of World Cup Qualifiers also sealing their place in the next Asian Cup besides securing top spot in the group. Qatar’s winning streak gave Lopez leverage to test his bench strength as he included many youngsters for the remaining two group matches, also including a home clash against India on June 11.
They thrashed Afghanistan 8-1 in November’s first leg with Almoez Ali firing a hat-trick in the big win. But the seasoned striker is not part of the team after being rested along with in-form forward Akram Afif and several other senior players with Lopez’s first-choice goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham, who recently underwent a surgery, also absent from the squad. Lopez, however, is confident his young team is capable of keeping Al Annabi’s perfect record in the qualifiers intact, in today’s “important” game to be played at Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Stadium at 7pm (Doha time).
“We have a young squad as we opted to rest senior players but still a win will be crucial to us,” said the Qatar coach, who led the side to successful Asian Cup title defence earlier this year. “We have a long journey ahead in the qualifiers and we want to maintain the.
