Lopez names Qatar squad for Asian Cup defence

Qatar coach Marques Lopez revealed the 26-player squad for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup, scheduled to take place in Qatar from January 12 to February 10.
Osama al-Tairi and Mohamed Muntari will miss the tournament due to injuries sustained during a training camp currently being held at the Aspire Academy. They have been replaced by Al Duhail duo Khaled Mohamed and Ismail Mohamed. Goalkeeper Saoud al-Khater, who previously played under Lopez at Al Wakrah, has been omitted from the preliminary squad.
Al Annabi are drawn in Group A along with China, Tajikistan and Lebanon. Qatar, who won the title for the first time when the tournament was held in the United Arab Emirates in 2019, will open their defence against Lebanon on January 12 at the Lusail Stadium. They then take on Tajikistan at the Al Bayt Stadium on January 17, before their final group stage match takes place on January 22 against China at the Khalifa International Stadium.
While Qatar is expected to smoothly advance to the knockout stage, the real test lies in whether they can challenge for the title. As hosts, they carry the added weight of expectation, compounded by the recent coaching change with Lopez replacing Carlos Queiroz last month, marking their third head coach in under a year.
Qatar’s FIFA World Cup debut in 2022 at home ended disastrously with three defeats and Queiroz, upon his appointment as head coach in last February, had said his immediate task was to rebuild the team.
Despite the veteran Portuguese manager’s efforts to find new talents and rejuvenate experienced players, his sudden dismissal came as a surprise. Now, Lopez faces the monumental task of rallying the squad to defend their title on home soil.
Several members of the 2019 squad still remain as the mainstays of the team, including captain Hassan al-Haydos, Boualem Khoukhi, Almoez Ali, Bassam al-Rawi and Akram Afif. Almoez Ali was named the Most Valuable Player in 2019 as his record nine goals helped Qatar clinch an historical title, while Afif registered a tournament record 10 assists four years ago. But both have failed to reach the heights of Qatar’s continental conquest four years ago.
On Sunday, Qatar handed Cambodia a 3-0 defeat in a friendly match with Almoez Ali scoring a hat-trick. They are scheduled to play another friendly against Jordan tomorrow.
Last week, Lopez had said he was pleased with his team’s preparations for the AFC Asian Cup. “I am happy with the determination players are showing during the training sessions. I am very happy with the way the preparations are going at this moment,” Lopez said on the sidelines of the camp.
“I have great confidence in everyone, and although time is limited before the tournament, we will work with all our strength and try to have the best preparation,” he added.