Qatar National Football Team

The Qatar National Football Team, known as “The Maroons”, represents Qatar in international football competitions and is governed by the Qatar Football Association. They are affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF).

Qatar made its FIFA World Cup debut as the host nation in 2022. Despite the excitement and anticipation surrounding their participation, the team struggled to find form and was eliminated in the group stage, becoming the first host nation in World Cup history to lose all three of its group matches.

However, the Maroons staged an impressive comeback in 2023, successfully defending their AFC Asian Cup title on home soil and reaffirming their status as one of Asia’s top footballing nations.

The story of football in Qatar is deeply intertwined with the country’s rapid transformation during the oil era. The sport was first introduced in the 1940s, following the initial discovery of oil reserves in Dukhan. During this period, oil workers—many of them expatriates—would organize informal football matches, planting the early seeds of the game in the region.

As interest in football grew, the need for a governing body became apparent. This led to the formation of the Qatar Football Association (QFA) in the late 1960s. Just a few years later, in 1970, the QFA became an official member of FIFA, marking the beginning of Qatar’s structured journey into international football.

Qatar has dropped seven spots in the latest FIFA Men’s World Ranking, now sitting at 55th globally with 1,456.5 points.

Qatar National Football Team Roster

Julen Lopetegui is the current coach, and Akram Afif is the captain of the Qatar Soccer team. Hassan Al-Haydos is the most capped player for the national team with 183 caps and 41 goals.

Almoez Ali is the top goalscorer ( 121 caps with 60 goals), Mansour Muftah (81 caps with 42 goals), and Mubarak Mustafa (106 caps with 41 goals) are in second and third positions in the sequence.

Akram Afif, Almoez Ali, Hassan Al-Haydos, Karim Boudiaf, and Boualem Khoukhi are some of the famous soccer players from Qatar. Saad Al-Sheeb is the first-choice goalkeeper for the National team. The team won the Arabian Gulf Cup in 1992, 2004 and 2014.

Here is the Qatar football team’s Squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Current Football Squad of the Qatar National Football Team Players

As of May 12, 2026, the Qatar national football team is competing in the Asian Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Qatar have played with North Korea and Kyrgyzstan in the FIFA World Cup 26 qualifying in March. The team have secured one match against North Korea and lost one match against Kyrgyzstan.

• Goalkeepers: Meshaal Barsham (Al-Sadd), Salah Zakaria (Al-Duhail), Mahmud Abunada (Al-Rayyan), Shehab Ellethy (Al-Shahaniya)
• Defenders: Boualem Khoukhi (Al-Sadd), Pedro Miguel (Al-Sadd), Tarek Salman (Al-Sadd), Bassam Al-Rawi (Al-Duhail), Homam Ahmed (Cultural Leonesa), Lucas Mendes (Al-Wakrah), Sultan Al-Brake (Al-Duhail), Al-Hashmi Al-Hussain (Al-Arabi), Ayoub Al-Oui (Al-Gharafa), Issa Laye (Al-Arabi), Niall Mason (Qatar SC), Rayyan Al-Ali (Al-Gharafa)
• Midfielders: Abdulaziz Hatem (Al-Rayyan), Karim Boudiaf (Al-Duhail), Assim Madibo (Al-Wakrah), Mohammed Waad (Al-Shamal), Ahmed Fathy (Al-Arabi), Jassem Gaber (Al-Rayyan), Mohamed Al-Mannai (Al-Shamal), Tahsin Jamshid (Al-Duhail)
• Forwards: Hassan Al-Haydos (Al-Sadd, captain), Sebastián Soria (Qatar SC), Akram Afif (Al-Sadd), Almoez Ali (Al-Duhail), Mohammed Muntari (Al-Gharafa), Ahmed Alaaeldin (Al-Rayyan), Yusuf Abdurisag (Al-Wakrah), Edmilson Junior (Al-Duhail), Ahmed Al-Ganehi (Al-Gharafa), Mubarak Shanan (Al-Duhail)

Qatar Full Squad for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualification

Here is the Qatar National team’s final squad in World Cup Qualification, which will be selected for the next two matches. Qatar vs Iran, and Uzbekistan vs Qatar. Currently, the team is 3rd in the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers Points Table. Here is Qatar’s football team 2025 for the current schedule-

Currently, Qatar is positioned third or fourth in its group. Securing favourable results in the remaining matches is essential for advancing to the fourth round of the AFC qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

• Goalkeepers: Meshaal Barsham, Salah Zakaria
• Defenders: Tarek Salman, Boualem Khoukhi, Jassem Gaber
• Midfielders: Assim Madibo, Abdulaziz Hatem
• Forwards: Akram Afif, Almoez Ali

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC First round Qatar Performance

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Third round Qatar Performance

The Qatar national team has two matches remaining in the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC qualifiers. Currently holding third or fourth place in the group standings, Qatar remains in contention to advance to the fourth round of qualification.

Qatar National Football Team Information

Qatar National Football Team Recent Achievements

• AFC Asian Cup Champions: 2019, 2023
• Arabian Gulf Cup Champions: 1992, 2004, 2014

2025 Qatar National Football Team Match Schedule

Here are the upcoming match schedule and the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualification schedule of Qatar.

Most capped Players

Most Top Goalscorer Players

Almoez Ali is Qatar’s all-time top scorer with 60 goals in 121 Caps.