Qatar's dynamic national football team coach, Felix Sanchez Bas, who led the team to victory in the AFC Asian Cup finals held in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year, despite hostility from the host nation, has selected his 24-member squad ahead of the matches they will play against Afghanistan and India in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup joint qualifiers. Qatar is all set to take on Afghanistan on 5 September and India on 10 September. The matches will take place at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, according to the Qatar Football Association (QFA).
Sanchez announced the squad after the end of the Week 2 matches in the QNB Stars League. Qatar has begun training to prepare for its upcoming matches, and is looking forward to getting a good start in Group E of the qualifiers by winning their first two games. Group E consists of five teams: Qatar, Afghanistan, India, Oman and Bangladesh.
As hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2022, Qatar has already qualified for the world's biggest football championship, if they top their group, they will get a direct spot at the 2023 Asian Cup. All group winners will qualify directly for the finals, alongside the four best runners-up.
The 24-member squad selected by Sanchez is as follows: Meshaal Barsham, Saad Al Sheeb, Pedro Miguel, Salem Al Hajri, Tarek Salman, Abdelkarim Hassan, Khoukhi Boualem, Hassan Al Haydos, Akram Afif, Abdulaziz Al Ansari, Hashim Ali (Al Sadd), Bassam Al Rawi, Assim Madibo, Almoez Ali, Karim Boudiaf, Ali Afif, Mohammed Al Bakri (Al Duhail), Yousuf Abdurrazaq, Musab Kheder, Ahmed Fathi (Al Arabi(, Almahdi Ali, Ahmed Alaaeldin (Al Gharafa), Abdulaziz Hatem (Al Rayyan), Abdullah Abdulsalam (Al Ahli).
In addition to the team Sanchez has announced above, he also announced a 26-member squad for the Qatar Olympic national team, ahead of the two upcoming friendly matches against Jordan. The matches are being played as part of the preparations for the AFC U-23 Championship, which will take place in Thailand in January 2020 and will also serve as qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics.
The squad is as follows: Mohammed Ismail Abushanab, Amro Seraj, Nasser Abdulsalam, Ilyas Ahmed, Andiy Syahputra, Abdullah Ali Al Saai, Ahmed Al Janehi, Salah Hassan (Al Gharafa), Khaled Muneer, Ahmed Suhail, Mohammed Waad (Al Wakrah), Ahmed Al Sebaei, Shehab Al Leythi, Khaled Mohammed (Al Duhail), Hazem Shehata, Yazan Naim, Hassan Balank (Umm Salal), Abdulrahman Mohammed Fahmy, Abdulrashid Umaru (Al Ahli), Adel Bader, Ahmed Al Menhali (Al Sailiya), Bahaa Al Leythi, Youssef Ayman (Qatar), Hussain Bahzad (Al Sadd), Ibrahim Masoud (Al Rayyan), Khalifa Al Malki (Al Arabi)
The friendly matches against Jordan will take place on 6 September and 9 September on Aspire Pitch No. 4.
Qatar has qualified for the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship after topping their qualifying group with seven points from three games, finishing ahead of Oman on goal difference. Afghanistan and Nepal came third and fourth respectively.
Sanchez was appointed to the post of head coach of the Olympic team in August, replacing his compatriot Albert Fernandez. The new post will be in addition to Sanchez's job as coach of the senior national team, which he has held since July 2017.
Sanchez has a great track record with Qatar's various national teams, starting with the AFC U-19 Championship victory in 2014, followed by a third-place finish at the AFC U-23 Championship in 2018 and finally the historic triumph with the senior team at Asia's most prestigious tournament the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
Sanchez recently replaced his compatriot Albert Fernandez as the Qatar Olympic national team's head coach. The decision was made by QFA's executive committee. Sanchez will also continue to coach the senior national team, a position he has held since July 2017, according to QNA.
Sanchez has a great track record with Qatar's various national teams, starting with the AFC U-19 Championship victory in 2014, followed by a third-place finish at the AFC U-23 Championship in 2018 and finally the historic triumph with the senior team at Asia's most prestigious tournament the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
The association had announced extending Sanchez's contract with the senior national team till 2022 FIFA World Cup.
To know more about Qatar's national football team coach, click on he following link: Who is Qatar's national football team coach Felix Sanchez?
For more information on the Qatar national football team and its history, click on the following link: Qatar national football team: from 1970 to winning the 2019 AFC Asian Cup!
Cover image credit: QFA
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