Doha: Young players included in Qatar squad for the upcoming games against Afghanistan and Indian are eyeing to leave a mark in their appearance at the AFC Asian Cup 2027 and FIFA World Cup 2026 joint qualifiers. With the two-time Asian champions already confirming AFC Asian Cup 2027 spot and their progression to the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, head coach Marquez Lopez has included several youngsters in the squad for their last two Group A matches as he looks “to form a strong squad that has a mix of youth and experienced players”. Qatar will fly to Saudi Arabia to play Afghanistan at Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium in Al Ahsa, on Thursday before they meet India at home on June 11.
“It’s a great honour to be in the national team and it makes any player happy. Now it’s our duty to put our best performance in the two matches,” said forward Ahmed Al Rawi, on the sidelines team’s training session at Aspire yesterday. “We will be ready for the match against Afghanistan in Saudi Arabia.
We will follow the coach’s plan and we are looking forward to win. All players will give their best efforts to continue our winning journey,” he added. Qatar have won all their four matches so far beating Afghanistan and India in the first legs before claiming victories in a double-header against Kuwait in March.
Young midfielder Naif Al Hadhrami said Qatar are aiming to keep perfect record before starting their campaign in the third round of the World C.
