Julen Lopetegui to lead Qatar at FIFA World Cup 2026, says QFA President

DOHA: Julen Lopetegui will continue to lead Qatar despite the side’s recent poor run of form, which saw them crash out of the FIFA Arab Cup at home earlier this week.

Qatar Football Association President Jassim Al-Buainain confirmed that Al Annabi will head to the FIFA World Cup 2026 under the Spaniard’s tutelage, while speaking to journalist Rashid Al-Mohannadi on the Ya Arab podcast show by Qatari broadcaster Al-Kass.

“He will continue until the World Cup,” Al-Buanain confirmed. “We cannot say if, God forbid, something happens [ahead of the tournament]. But as of now, he is the coach who will lead us in the World Cup.”

Doubts over the former Real Madrid manager’s future with the national team peaked after Qatar exited the 16-team competition with a 3-0 loss to Tunisia, bagging just one point in three matches to finish bottom of Group A.

Qatar never fully recovered from the 1-0 loss against Palestine in the opener, as the 1-1 draw against Syria saw them concede late yet again. The final group saw the reigning Asian champions get outplayed.

“We decided to relax key players and not involve them in the tournament to test the young players in preparation for the 2026 World Cup,” Lopetegui had reasoned after the match, admitting that the team failed to meet the “required level” and committed far too many mistakes to be spared.

In the interview aired on Tuesday, Al-Buanain said there were “circumstances” that led to the recent run of setbacks, echoing Lopetegui’s sentiments.

“We know the fans are not happy with the recent results, especially the Arab Cup, but there are some justifications and reasons for that,” he said.

“Lopetegui, in the recent period, has only had a few competitive games. Many were friendlies. His overall record before the Arab Cup was great. In the Arab Cup, there were some circumstances.”

The Spaniard was appointed in May to steady Qatar’s ship after sluggish performances in the third round of Asian Qualifiers saw the 2022 hosts miss out on two automatic spots to North America.

Lopetegui’s charges then secured first-ever World Cup qualification on merit from the fourth round of qualifiers, following a tense 2-1 win against the United Arab Emirates in October.

When asked about fans’ reaction to recent results, Al-Buanain said the broader objective had been achieved.

“If you’re talking about results, then we’ve just qualified for the World Cup,” he said. “So I think we’ve reached the bigger goal that our fans wanted.”

Pressure on Lopetegui mounted as the side failed to capitalise on that momentum at the Arab Cup, which the QFA President seemed confident about correcting at the tournament in the summer.

“We are not satisfied with the team’s performance in the Arab Cup. InshaAllah, it will be a completely different performance in the World Cup,” he added.

“The decision to sign Lopetegui was taken after careful study, and the proof is that game against Iran,” he said, referring to the 59-year-old’s first competitive game in charge, which saw Qatar grind out a gritty 1-0 win against the group winners. “It was not easy, but it was the game that got us into the playoffs.”

Qatar will be looking to put on a better performance at the World Cup following an abysmal debut campaign. The hosts bowed out of the 2022 edition, losing all their games against Ecuador, Senegal, and the Netherlands.

They will face co-hosts Canada, Switzerland and one among Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, or Bosnia and Herzegovina in the summer.

While Lopetegui refused to comment on the draw in detail when approached by QFootLive ahead of the Tunisia fixture, Al-Buanain told Al-Kass the aim is to advance from “one of the strongest groups”.

“Our ambition is to go as far as possible,” he added.