Qatar national football team
Football arrived in Qatar during the 1940s, coinciding with the discovery of oil reserves in Dukhan. By 1948, expatriate oil workers from India and other Arabian nations formed local teams. The first documented tournament was the Ezz Eddin Tournament held by the Qatar Oil Company in 1951. This early competition laid the groundwork for organized play within the country. In the late 1950s, the event name changed to the Pukett Cup. Interest grew steadily among the population as the nation began its economic transformation. The Qatar Football Association officially established itself in 1960. Three years later, the association joined FIFA, bringing the national team under global jurisdiction. Simultaneously, Qatari officials collaborated on plans for a regional Gulf Cup competition. These efforts culminated in March 1970 when the Arabian Gulf Cup was inaugurated.
The national team played its first official match on the 27th of March 1970 against host Bahrain in the 1970 Gulf Cup. They lost that game 1, 2, with Mubarak Faraj scoring the sole goal for Qatar. Early performances were underwhelming, often finishing last place in tournaments. A highlight emerged during their final match of that inaugural tournament, a 1, 1 draw with rivals Saudi Arabia. Player Khaled Ballan won the Best Player of the Tournament award despite the poor overall standing. The next edition in 1972 saw three straight defeats and another last-place finish. Progress came slowly but surely. The 1974 tournament marked a breakthrough with a 4, 0 victory over Oman. They finished third after winning a penalty shoot-out against the United Arab Emirates. Mohammed Ghanim took home the Best Player award again. By 1976, they hosted the event and secured third place, solidifying their status as one of the better teams in the region. Emerging players like Mansour Muftah and Khaled Ballan began to define this era. The 1980s brought mixed results. They reached the finals of the 1984 Gulf Cup but narrowly lost to Iraq. This runner-up finish stood as one of their most impressive achievements until 1992.
Qatar arguably reached its peak in the 1990s, attaining a FIFA rating of 53 in August 1993. They started off with an emphatic qualifying campaign for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, finishing at the top of their group. However, they could not advance due to finishing below the United Arab Emirates and South Korea in the final round. In 1992, they won the Gulf Cup on home soil under Sebastião Lapola. Mubarak Mustafa won both the top scorer and man of the tournament awards. A major turning point arrived in 2019 when Qatar hosted the AFC Asian Cup. Their opener saw them defeat Lebanon 2, 0. They followed that with a 6, 0 thrashing of North Korea and a 2, 0 win against three-time champions Saudi Arabia. They secured first place in the group after conceding only one goal throughout the entire tournament. The team defeated Iraq 1, 0 in the Round of 16 and beat defending runners-up South Korea in the quarter-finals. They then crushed hosts United Arab Emirates 4, 0 to set up a final against four-time winners Japan. Qatar ended up winning the final 3, 1 over Japan, marking their first-ever major tournament title. Four years later, they defended this title by defeating Jordan 3, 1 in the 2023 final. Akram Afif scored a penalty hat-trick to secure the victory.
Qatar was announced as hosts of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in December 2010. This automatic qualification marked their first appearance in the event. On the 25th of November 2022, Qatar became the first team eliminated from the World Cup. They lost every single game during the tournament. The situation started poorly with a 0, 2 loss to Ecuador in the opening match. Enner Valencia scored two goals in the first half for Ecuador. Their second meeting with Senegal resulted in a 3, 1 defeat. Mohammed Muntari became Qatar's first World Cup scorer in that game. The hosts then fell to the Netherlands 0, 2, making an unwanted record as the first hosts to lose all three group games. They also became the lowest-ranked team in the tournament at rank 32nd. This performance made them the worst performing host nation in history. Despite hosting the competition, they failed to score more than one goal in any match. The contrast between their Asian Cup triumphs and this World Cup failure remains stark. Fourteen months later, they redeemed themselves by winning the 2023 AFC Asian Cup on home soil again.
In the early 1970s, shortly after the formation of the national team, the QFA revealed it had naturalized its first players. A February 1976 telegram sent to FIFA listed Ezzuldin Osman of Sudan, Hassan Mukhtar of Egypt, and Ryad Murad of Lebanon. This practice continued throughout the 20th century at a relatively slow rate. In 2004, FIFA cited the intention of three Brazilian players , Aílton, Dedé, and Leandro , to play for the national team as the trigger for tightening eligibility rules. Critics claimed this was merely another exploitative way of acquiring naturalized players. Vice linked these policies to human rights abuses and the kafala system. The International Labour Organization announced the removal of the Kafala law on the 12th of December 2016. That reform came into effect in 2018. In the 2015 friendly against Algeria, six of the eleven players in the starting team were born outside of Qatar. Then-president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, warned Qatar that they would monitor player selection closely. He compared the situation to the men's handball team selection for the 2015 World Men's Handball Championship. Head coach Jorge Fossati threatened to resign if naturalized players were removed from the squad. Of the 26 players called up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 10 players were born outside of Qatar.
Qatar has major rivalries with Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia due to historical tensions. With 39 matches played against Bahrain, the overall record favors them. Bahrain won 11 matches while Qatar lost only 8 and tied 19. From 2004 until 2021, Qatar suffered a winless streak over Bahrain with six defeats and ten draws before finally registering a win in the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup. The rivalry with the United Arab Emirates intensified during the 2017, 2021 diplomatic crisis. In the 2018 AFC U-19 Championship held in Indonesia, the captain of the UAE under-19 youth team refused to shake hands with Qatar's youth captain. As of 2020, they had played 31 official matches, most held competitively in the Arabian Gulf Cup. In the 2019 AFC Asian Cup hosted by the UAE, Qatar overran the host nation for the first time since 2001 with a result of 4, 0. Heavy tensions occurred between the two teams with Emirati supporters cheering anti-Qatari chants. Against Saudi Arabia, Qatar holds an overall negative record with 41 matches played. They have won 8 matches but lost 17 and tied 16. Historical tension combined with the 2017, 2021 diplomatic crisis shaped these competitive outcomes.
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Common questions
When did the Qatar national football team play its first official match?
The Qatar national football team played its first official match on the 27th of March 1970 against host Bahrain in the 1970 Gulf Cup. They lost that game 1, 2 with Mubarak Faraj scoring the sole goal for Qatar.
What major tournament title has the Qatar national football team won?
Qatar won their first-ever major tournament title by defeating Japan 3, 1 in the final of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. They defended this title four years later by defeating Jordan 3, 1 in the 2023 final.
How many matches did the Qatar national football team win during the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
The Qatar national football team lost every single game during the 2022 FIFA World Cup and failed to score more than one goal in any match. They became the lowest-ranked team in the tournament at rank 32nd and the worst performing host nation in history.
Who were the first naturalized players listed for the Qatar national football team in 1976?
A February 1976 telegram sent to FIFA listed Ezzuldin Osman of Sudan, Hassan Mukhtar of Egypt, and Ryad Murad of Lebanon as the first naturalized players. By the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 10 of the 26 players called up were born outside of Qatar.
What is the head-to-head record between the Qatar national football team and Bahrain?
With 39 matches played against Bahrain, the overall record favors them with Bahrain winning 11 matches while Qatar lost only 8 and tied 19. From 2004 until 2021, Qatar suffered a winless streak over Bahrain before finally registering a win in the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup.