Buoyant Qatar raring to go against UAE in WC qualifiers

Coach Marquez Lopez on Wednesday said Asian champions Qatar have put in the hard yards in the buildup to their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against the UAE.
The two sides clash today at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium where Qatar will be looking to stretch their unbeaten streak against the UAE since 2015.
“We will begin a whole new phase to qualify for the World Cup. We have done enough preparations and we have had enough time to do it,” Lopez said on Wednesday at a pre-match press conference. “In fact we had a good time (while preparing for the match),” the 62-year-old Spaniard added.
Qatar, ranked 34 in the world, are tagged along with the UAE, Asian giants Iran, North Korea, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in Group A. Five days later, Qatar will face North Korea in Laos. UAE are ranked 69.
Lopez, who took over from veteran Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz in a shock Qatar Football Association move in December last year, was confident Qatar can progress from Group A. “This group is difficult. There are no easy teams. All teams have good players. But we trust the capability of our players. It will be a difficult mission. We know the journey (to the next World Cup) will be difficult but we can make progress from this group,” Lopez said.
Lopez said his side is not daunted by the fact that Qatar have never directly qualified for the FIFA World Cup. “When selecting the players for any phase of matches, we expect them to be best for this phase. We know our team very well. I have seven years experience of coaching in Qatar. You use different formations. We trust them all,” Lopez said.
Qatar, Lopez said, is ready for the UAE clash. “It is going to be a football game. We have analysed our rivals. We have previous experiences of playing against them. They have a very organised set up. They have a good coach. They are not an easy team to play,” Lopez said without elaborating.
When reminded about Qatar dominating UAE in the last nine years, Lopez played down the statistical ascendancy over their neighbouring rivals. “In football there is no such thing as overconfidence when you look at some useless stats. If you think on those lines then it will be stupid. Overconfidence is bad for players and teams,” he said.
“I have tried to give the same mentality to my players. We see them working hard. They are trying to qualify for the World Cup. They are doing everything so there can’t be a bigger motivation,” Lopez said.
“I want to thank our fans who backed us during our Asian Cup campaign. We hope they come in droves again,” he quickly added.
UAE coach Paulo Bento sounded wary of Qatar threat in today’s clash. “It will be a difficult game against a very good team. They are a well organised side with an experienced coach. He (Lopez) knows the context of this match. He knows our team. They have good quality on their side. They won the last two Asian Cup events,” Bento said on Wednesday.
“We must perform really well. We must try to have a good organisation until the end of the game. We have to try to get the best possible result,” the Portuguese added. “This game will demand a lot of things – in the tactical and mental aspects for sure.
“It’s important we remain in the game from the start until the end. To make this happen, it is important the players follow the team strategy in the entire game regardless of the result.
“We have to show a personality against a strong team. We have to show the desire to get the best result. As I said before, the team that performs well and the team that follows the strategy will do well in this match,” he added.