Qatar coach Carlos Queiroz walks as Al Annabi reach Houston. RIGHT: Striker Almoez Ali (right) along with team-mates at the airport.
Doha: Qatar yesterday reached the United States, eyeing a strong performance in their second appearance at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, also to be co-hosted by Canada.
Coached by veteran Carlos Queiroz, the reigning Asian champions reached Houston from Vienna where they were based for a training camp for almost three weeks. Qatar also played three friendly matches during their stay in Austria.
The Gold Cup that brings together national teams from North and Central America and the Caribbean will see 16 teams in action in the group stage from June 25 to July 17.
In their second stint in the tournament as guest side, Qatar, who reached the semi-finals on their debut in 2021, are in Group B along with Haiti, Honduras and Mexico.
Hosts United States, who defeated Al Annabi in the semi-finals two years ago, will defend their title in the event.
Qatar will now hold training sessions to prepare for their opening match against Haiti on June 26 at NRG Stadium in Houston. The match will kick off at 1:00am (Qatar time).
Al Annabi will be without the likes of seasoned Hassan Al Haydos and playmaker Akram Afif as several senior players missed out Queiroz’s 26-player preliminary squad for Austria training camp.
However, striker Almoez Ali retained his place in the final 23-player squad and will be one of the players to watch in the tournament. The Al Duhail captain was top scorer in the 2021 edition, scoring four goals for his side.
After meeting Haiti, Qatar are scheduled to play Honduras in their second match at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on June 30. In their biggest test in the group, Al Annabi will face CONCACAF giants Mexico in Santa Clara on July 3.
Queiroz is eyeing strong show from his side, hoping “the team will be ready for the challenge” in what will be his first assignment with Qatar.
A good performance in the tournament will help Qatar regain confidence after they flopped in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Following the Gold Cup, Qatar will start their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup in November before defending their AFC Asian Cup title early next year.
QATAR SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Yousuf Hassan, Meshaal Barsham, Salah Zakaria
Defenders: Yousef Ayman, Homam Al Amin, Musab Khidir, Tarek Salman, Hazem Ahmed, Jassem Jaber, Bassam Al Rawi, Ahmed Suhail
Midfielders: Mahdi Salem, Mustafa Meshaal, Mohammed Waad, Ali Asad, Abdulla Al Maarafi, Assim Madibo, Ahmed Fathi
Forwards: Yousuf Abdurisag, Mohammed Muntari, Khaled Muneer, Tamim Mansour, Almoez Ali
