Qatar secures qualification for the 2026 World Cup after a valuable victory over the UAE

The Qatar national team has secured a ticket to the finals of the 2026 World Cup after its deserved victory over its Emirati counterpart with a score of 2-1 today, Tuesday, in the final round of the first group of the Asian playoff held at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.

Boualem Khoukhi opened the scoring for Qatar in the 49th minute, before Pedro Miguel added the second goal in the 74th minute, amidst great joy for the Qatari fans who filled the stands in support of their team.

Late Emirati attempt

Despite being two goals down, the UAE did not give up, as Sultan Adel managed to reduce the deficit in the 98th minute of stoppage time, but time did not allow his team to equalize, and the referee blew the final whistle, officially announcing Qatar's qualification for the World Cup.


Qatar's return to the World Cup

This qualification is the second in the history of the Qatari national team to the World Cup finals, following its previous participation in the 2022 edition hosted by Doha.
With this victory, the Qatari team topped Group A with 4 points, surpassing its rivals in the decisive stage.


Emirati disappointment and new opportunity

On its part, the UAE will need to wait to enter an additional stage of the continental playoff, hoping to qualify for the World Cup for the second time in its history, after its only appearance in the 1990 World Cup in Italy.