Al Annabi will begin their FIFA World Cup 2026 against Switzerland on Saturday with odds stacked against them. 

Qatar’s quest to secure a win at the biggest stage will begin on Saturday against Switzerland as Julen Lopetegui’s side looks to undo the three consecutive defeats suffered at the home World Cup in 2022.

Al Annabi secured their maiden FIFA World Cup berth on merit following a tumultuous campaign, which eventually culminated in an indirect spot via the fourth round of Asian Qualifiers.

Expectations on the reigning Asian champions will be to step out of that shadow as well as to restore the pride lost in group stage exit last time around.

I am not thinking about the past, I am thinking about the present

Head coach Lopetegui said ahead of the opener at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, almost 500 kilometers away from the team’s camp at Santa Barbara. “We know that we are at the World Cup but we ​want to follow our dream.”

Lopetegui was roped in as the Maroon’s head coach last year in May with primary task of securing the historic qualification. A 2-1 win against the UAE in October at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium pushed Al Annabi over the line.

“When we arrived here one ​year ago more or less, our goal was [qualifying for the World Cup]. Our dream was that. And, we achieved it. With the ​help of this group. They made history,” the Spaniard said.

“Now we don’t want to ⁠stop. We know the kind of opponents we face. We know that we are at the World Cup but we ​want to follow our dream.”

Qatar are pitted in Group B with co-hosts Canada, who played a 1-1 stalemate against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday.

It could be a tough task ahead for Lopetegui and company, who have struggled against higher-ranked opponents. Disruptions in the preparations due to the war in the Middle East meant Qatar lost out on friendlies against World Champions Argentina and Serbia and an opportunity to measure themselves against higher-ranked opponents.

In an interview with The Guardian, Lopetegui admitted to the profound effects of the recent developments in the Middle East, but added that his side will be looking to compete and not just participate.

“When you go to a World Cup, you can think: ‘Bloody hell, this is a success.’ And it is a success in capital letters, but you can’t just cling on to that. You can’t think: ‘It’s done.’ No. Not likely. That’s a mistake. So now we have to ‘sharpen’ our ‘lance’ and compete,” the interview quoted him as saying.

As such, Qatar will also turn on their talismanic forward Akram Afif for inspiration as well as seek to step up and fix the defensive woes that nearly became their undoing in the qualifying rounds.

Attempts to inject new blood into the set-up rarely bore fruit until the last stretch, which saw Mahmoud Abunada cement his spot in goal as well as Al Gharafa’s Ayoub Al-Oui make a case to start at right back. The lingering problem, however, has been the ageing core that has failed to step up on multiple occasions.

Al Annabi will look to the experiences in the past, including the 2022 World Cup at home, to derive lessons, according to captain Hassan Al-Haydos, who came back from retirement in the latter qualifying stages in one of the few desperate measures pulled to steady the ship.

“Of course, we tried to put this ⁠experience into ​practice from a technical perspective and a performance-related perspective,”

“We tried to share whatever insights and experience we gained. We cannot promise our fans anything or any outcomes, but still I can promise that we are ​going to do our best and come out positively.”

Sudesh Baniya, QFootLive