Abdelkarim Hassan was a notable inclusion to the Qatar 27-man squad, which was announced by head coach Marquez Lopez for this month’s crucial FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Kyrgyzstan and Iran.Not long ago, Hassan’s return to the Qatar football landscape was deemed impossible. But the defender made a surprise return in July signing for Al Wakrah, days after he and his former club Al Sadd had reached ‘an amicable resolution, allowing both parties to move past previous differences.”The 31-year-old had found himself in hot waters after Qatar’s debacle in the 2022 FIFA World Cup at home. He was handed an indefinite suspension by the Qatar football federation (QFA) following an altercation with a fan over social media.Following the group stage exit at the World Cup, Hassan responded to a complaint on SnapChat about the team’s poor show by posting, “Relax, do you think it’s war?” Hassan was also deducted 50% of his salary, fined 200,000 Qatari riyals and issued a warning by the QFA.With Qatar now struggling in their bid to qualify for the World Cup, Lopez has called upon the experienced defender. Two-time Asian Champions Qatar are fifth in the six-team Group A, with Kyrgyzstan at bottom of the table. Uzbekistan lead the Group A with six points, ahead of Iran on goal difference, followed by the UAE in third place with three pointsIn the two matches so far, Qatar lost at home to the United Arab Emirates 1-3, while they were held to a 2-2 draw by North Korea in Laos.Now, Lopez – who also recalled veteran Boualem Khoukhi – will hope the experience in his squad will help his men get their first win of the campaign. After playing against Kyrgyzstan at Al Thumama Stadium on October 10, Qatar will travel to Iran for their toughest match of the group in Mashhad on October 15.From the previous squad, defender Pedro Miguel misses out due to an injury sustained during Al Sadd’s AFC Champions League game against Esteghlal. Al Ahli’s Marwan Sherif has been called up to replace Mohammed al-Bakri of Al Wakrah in goal, joining first-choice keeper Meshaal Barsham, along with Saad al-Sheeb (Al Sadd) and Salah Zakaria (Al Duhail).Al Gharafa’s Ahmed al-Ganehi and Al Shahania’s Naif al-Hadhrami are also included, as is Duhail’s Edmilson Junior, who made his debut against North Korea.Lopez has remained positive despite Qatar’s poor start to their World Cup qualification bid. “Even though we have one point from two matches, we still have eight games ahead of us. We will do our best to achieve victories and gain the points that will enable us to compete strongly for qualification with the teams in Group A,” the Spaniard had said after the draw against North Korea.