With Qatar’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup hanging by a thread, coach Marquez Lopez insists his players "will fight until the last breath" in a must-win match against Uzbekistan.
On Thursday at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, the two-time Asian champions face an unbeaten Uzbekistan side riding high on confidence, as the White Wolves chase a historic first-ever World Cup appearance. The Central Asian team currently sits on 10 points—level with Iran, as both teams hold the two automatic qualifying spots in Group A.
Qatar’s position is far more precarious, with just four points from four matches. A six-point gap between them and the top two makes Lopez's task all the more daunting.
A defeat to Uzbekistan Thursday, coupled with an Iran victory against North Korea in Vientiane, Laos, would widen that gap to nine points—a nearly insurmountable distance, even with half of the qualifying campaign still to go.
It's a reality not lost on Lopez, who faces immense pressure as his job comes under increasing scrutiny just nine months after leading Qatar to a second Asian Cup title at home.
While Qatar forwards have been in fine form, it’s the team’s defence frailties that has haunted Lopez. Injuries to key defenders – including Pedro Miguel has not helped his cause as he hopes to bring in fine balance in defence and attack.
Qatar lost both their matches against the United Arab Emirates and Iran after taking the lead. While Lopez has bolstered his side with the inclusion of experienced forward Mohammed Muntari, who makes a return after a long injury layoff, it remains to be seen how Qatar fare against Uzbekistan’s forwards.
Lopez acknowledged his Qatar's defensive struggles but was confident that his team can rise to the occasion. “Yes, we've conceded 10 goals in the qualifiers, and injuries have often made things difficult. Defensively, we don’t have many options, and key players getting injured only adds to the challenge,” the Spaniard said in a press conference Wednesday.
“That said, we are ready for the match, and we need to give 200%. Players are human, and mistakes happen—football can be unforgiving. We face a lot of challenges when preparing the squad, especially when injuries occur. Our goal is to win and secure the three points that will be key to our hopes of qualification. The players and everyone involved are aware of this, and we hope everything goes in our favor. We will fight until the last breath to win," the Qatar coach added.
Uzbekistan have kept six clean sheets in their last eight World Cup qualifying matches as they even held Iran to a goalless draw. Forwards Oston Urunov and Jaloliddin Masharipov are both fitness concerns but the White Wolves welcome back head coach Srecko Katanec after illness forced him to miss the last two qualifiers.
Uzbekistan's squad features several players playing at a high level of European football, a luxury Qatar do not enjoy. Captain Eldor Shomurodov represents Serie A side Roma, Abdukhodir Khusanov has been impressive in France at Lens, while Abbosbek Fayzullaev is a key playmaker for CSKA Moscow.
"They are a tough team that doesn't concede many goals and consistently plays with the same group,” said Lopez. “They have excellent players, especially their attacking trio. We saw how much we struggled against them in the Asian Cup until it went to penalty kicks. We'll try to impose our style—I won't change my approach. We've studied the opponent closely and trained hard throughout the past week. We'll look to exploit their weaknesses, but it will be a challenging match," he noted.
For Uzbekistan, a win against Qatar Thursday would put them well on course for a historic World cup appearance in two years’ time. Despite some impressive performances in qualification over the years, the closest Uzbekistan came was in 2014, with only goal difference denying them an automatic spot at the tournament before they were beaten in a play-off by Jordan.
There is optimism, however, that they could be about to break their duck and secure a place at the 2026 competition in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Shomurodov was optimistic about his team’s chances, with the captain saying a victory Thursday over Qatar will be a pivotal step towards qualification.
“If we manage to beat Qatar, our chances will improve even further,” he said. “We’re fully focused on getting those three points. Qatar is right behind us in the standings. We must do everything we can to keep them from closing in. Winning this game is crucial.”
Uzbekistan’s assistant coach, Vlado Radmanovich said one key moment could prove to be a difference against Qatar. “The match will be decided on small details. One accurate shot, one dribble, or one mistake can make the difference. Not losing the match will be a good result,” he said Wednesday.
The top two finishers in each group will qualify automatically for the World Cup. The six nations that finish third and fourth in their respective groups then advance to the fourth round, where a further two automatic berths are available. One additional team will then advance to the FIFA Play-off Tournament, where six sides compete for the last two tickets to the global finals.
