Qatar hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup and therefore qualified automatically for what was their first appearance in the event. It was the first time an Arab nation hosted the competition.[6] On 25 November 2022, Qatar were the first team to be eliminated from the World Cup; subsequently, they became the worst performing host nation in the history of the FIFA World Cup, losing every game.
Football was brought to Qatar during a time which coincided with initial discovery of oil reserves in Dukhan in 1940.[10] By 1948, expatriate oil workers played the first official football match in Qatar. The Qatar Football Association was formed in 1960, and the QFA joined FIFA in 1963.[11] Simultaneously during this period, the Bahrain Football Association were drawing up plans for the establishment of a regional football competition within the GCC and Qatari officials were involved with the corroboration of this proposal.[12] The plans came to fruition and in March 1970 the Arabian Gulf Cup was inaugurated.[13]
1970–1980
The Qatar national team played its first official match on 27 March 1970 against hosts Bahrain, losing 1–2 as Mubarak Faraj scored the sole goal for Qatar.[14] The newly formed Qatar national team posted underwhelming results in the first Gulf Cup tournament, coming in last place with a single point, with the highlight of their tournament being a 1–1 draw with the Saudis in their final match.[15]
In the next edition of the Gulf Cup in 1972, Qatar was again relegated to last place after suffering 3 straight defeats.[16] The next tournament in 1974 proved to be somewhat of a break-through for the Qataris as they achieved their first triumph in international football with a 4–0 victory over Oman. The Qataris lost out to Saudi Arabia in the semi-finals, but achieved a 3rd place standing after emerging the victors of a penalty shoot-out against the United Arab Emirates.[17]
The first time they entered the qualifying stages for the AFC Asian Cup was in 1975. They were not successful in qualifying for the 1976 Asian Cup, with Iraq and Saudi Arabia booking the group's two qualifying berths. Despite this setback, Qatar finished in 3rd place in the 1976 Gulf Cup as the host nation the next year.[18]
The national team played its first FIFA World Cup qualifying match in 1977. Qatar was set to play the United Arab Emirates on 11 March 1977, but the last minute withdrawal of the Emirati team from the competition merely postponed Qatar's debut until two days later when Bahrain were defeated 2–0 in Doha.[19]
1980–1990
Their Asian Cup debut came in 1980 under head coach Evaristo de Macedo. They had qualified for the tournament after topping a relatively easy group composing of Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Their showing in the main tournament was unimpressive, making an early exit from the group stages with two defeats, one draw and one win.[20]
Qatar narrowly lost to Iraq in the finals of the 1984 Gulf Cup, nonetheless they were named runners-up, their most impressive accolade until 1992.[21]
They failed to make it out of the preliminary stages of the 1982 and 1986 World Cup qualifying rounds. However, the team qualified for both the 1984 and 1988 editions of the Asian Cup. They fell short of qualifying for the semi-finals of the 1984 tournament, with Saudi Arabia's Mohaisen Al-Jam'an's 88th-minute goal against Kuwait ensuring a semi-final position for both teams. They also missed out on a semi-final place in 1988; however, they notably defeated Japan by a score of 3–0.[22]
1990–2000
Qatar arguably reached its peak in the 1990s, attaining its highest-ever FIFA rating (53) in August 1993.[23] Qatar started off with an emphatic qualifying campaign for the 1990 World Cup, finishing at the top of their group. They were denied a spot in the World Cup after finishing below the United Arab Emirates and South Korea in the final round of the qualifiers.
In 1990, the national team once again finished runners-up in the Gulf Cup as Kuwait won the final two matches of the tournament.[24] Two years later, they won the competition on home soil for the first time under the leadership of Sebastião Lapola, despite a 1–0 loss against Saudi Arabia in their final game.[25] Their star player at the time, Mubarak Mustafa, won both the top scorer and man of the tournament awards.[26] They were also named runners-up in the 1996 Gulf Cup.
Qatar reached the Asian Zone's final qualifying round for France 1998. After wins against China and Iran, they played their last match against Saudi Arabia, where a victory would have earned qualification. However, they lost out as Saudi Arabia won 1–0 to reach the finals.
As 1998 Arab Cup hosts, they finished runners-up to Saudi Arabia.[27]
2000–2010
They made it to the quarter-finals of the 2000 Asian Cup despite finishing 3rd in their group, but lost to China in their quarter-final confrontation.[28]
Troussier was sacked after the World Cup qualifying campaign, and under Bosnian Džemaludin Mušović, the team won the Gulf Cup in 2004 and the Asian Games gold in 2006. Mušović stepped down after Qatar only earned two points from three matches in the 2007 Asian Cup.
The job of coaching the team in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup fell to Jorge Fossati, who led the team throughout the first and second AFC rounds up to the third round. After leaving them at the top of their group with only two played matches, Fossati had to undergo stomach surgery. Subsequently, the Qatar Football Association ended their cooperation with him in September 2008, as the QFA claimed he needed too long to recover from surgery.[29]Bruno Metsu was called up for the job, but Qatar failed to qualify after finishing fourth in their qualifying group.
2010–2020
Qatar national team in 2011 during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying rounds.
In 2011, as hosts of the 2011 Asian Cup, they advanced to the quarter-finals. They succumbed to a late 2–3 defeat to eventual champions Japan after a goal was scored by Masahiko Inoha in the 89th minute.
Also as hosts, they went on to win the 2013 WAFF Championship after defeating Jordan 2–0 in the final. The competition was made up primarily of youth and reserve teams, of which Qatar's was the latter.[30]Djamel Belmadi, the head coach of the B team, replaced Fahad Thani as the head coach of the senior team as a result of the team's positive performances. 10 months later, Djamel Belmadi led Qatar to gold in the 2014 Gulf Cup. They advanced from the group stages after three draws, going on to defeat Oman 3–1 in the semi-final, and were victorious in the final against Saudi Arabia, who was playing in front of a home crowd, by a margin of 2–1.[31]
Despite winning the Gulf Cup and finishing the year 2014 with only one defeat, Qatar showed poor form in the 2015 Asian Cup. Qatar was defeated 1–4 by the United Arab Emirates in their opener. This was continued with a 0–1 loss to Iran and 1–2 to Bahrain. Qatar was eliminated in the group stages with no points and placed 4th in Group C.
Qatar's campaign in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia was a surprise. Their start in the second round of World Cup qualifying in the AFC was nearly perfect, with seven wins and only one loss. However, their success in the second round didn't follow them to the third round. Qatar finished bottom of their group, ensuring they would play their first World Cup match on home soil in 2022, the first team to do so since Italy in 1934.
Qatar continued its poor form in the 2017 Gulf Cup, which was hosted by Kuwait. Qatar opened the tournament with a 4–0 win against Yemen, but that was followed by a 1–2 loss to Iraq and an unconvincing 1–1 draw to Bahrain. Qatar took third place in Group B with four points and was eliminated in the group stage of the competition, which was considered an upsetting of the tournament, especially after winning the 2014 edition.
Qatar's players celebrating the country's first-ever Asian Cup title in 2019.
However, Qatar had an excellent campaign at the 2019 Asian Cup. Their opener saw them defeat Lebanon 2–0. This was followed by a 6–0 thrashing of North Korea and a 2–0 win against three-time champions Saudi Arabia, which sealed the team getting first place in the group. They had a 1–0 win against Iraq in the Round of 16 and a late win against defending runners-up South Korea in the quarter-finals, seeing them through to the semi-finals for the first time ever, where they defeated the hosts United Arab Emirates 4–0 to set up a final against 4-time winners Japan. Qatar ended up winning the final 3–1 over Japan, marking their first-ever major tournament title in their history, and capping off one of the most improbable Asian Cup runs in the tournament's history, especially since they conceded only one goal in all their games.[32]
Qatar was invited to the 2019 Copa América. They were placed in Group B with Colombia, Argentina and Paraguay. Their first game was against Paraguay where they came back from a 2–0 deficit to tie it 2–2 but marked for the first time Qatar suffered more than one goal in any major competition since winning the Asian Cup in UAE.[33] It was followed by a 0–1 loss to Colombia, ending the team's undefeated streak in any major competition to eight.[34] A 0–2 loss to Argentina meant Qatar took the last place in Group B with a single point and was eliminated in the group stage of the competition.[35]
2020–present
Despite Qatar had automatic qualification for the World Cup 2022, they had to play the AFC qualifiers in the second round. Qatar was invited for the first time to the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They played in Group D with Honduras, Panama and Grenada.[36] In December 2020, UEFA invited Qatar to play friendlies against the teams in Group A of the 2022 World Cup qualifying group – Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland and Serbia – as five teams in one group means one team will not be playing on any given match day. These friendlies did not count in the qualifying group standings. Qatar played their "home" matches in Europe in order to allow short travel times for their opponents.[37][38]
Qatar opening match starting line-up against Ecuador at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
In the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Qatar claimed 7 points in Group D. Their debut was against Panama with a 3–3 draw, ensuring them their first point. This was followed by a 4–0 victory over Grenada and a 2–0 win over Honduras ensuring a quarter-final place where they would face El Salvador, ultimately securing a semi-final place against the United States with a 3–2 win. However, against the hosts with its squad made up of the majority of MLS players, Qatar failed to find the way to the net, in spite of having a penalty in the 60th minute, ultimately conceding a late goal from Gyasi Zardes to end Qatar's campaign with a 1–0 loss. In the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, Qatar won all of its group-stage matches and faced UAE, winning 5–0. They lost 2–1 in the semi-final against Algeria,[39] eventually placing 3rd.[40]
Despite the very successful performance of Qatar in various major tournaments, the 2022 FIFA World Cup held at home proved to be a nightmare for the Qataris. Being automatically drawn into the Group A as hosts, Qatar started with a 0–2 loss to Ecuador in the opening match, conceding two goals in the first half from Enner Valencia, making Qatar the first host country to lose their opening game.[41] The situation did not improve for the Qataris in their second meeting with Senegal, when the Africans beat the Qataris 3–1 to condemn the hosts to an early World Cup exit, becoming the second host country after South Africa, the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts, to have such an unwanted record (although they were eliminated only on inferior goal differences to Mexico after three matches); they became the first host team to be eliminated after two group games and guaranteed to be the worst-host ever, although Ghanaian-born Mohammed Muntari became Qatar's first World Cup scorer in this game.[42][43][44] With Qatar's elimination confirmed, the hosts then fell to the Netherlands 0–2, making an unwanted record as the first hosts to score the fewest goals (1), the first to lose all three group games, and the lowest-ranked team in the tournament (ranked 32nd).[45][46]
14 months later, they would redeem themselves at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, also held at home. The Maroons defeated Lebanon 3–0 to start off their campaign, and they entered the round of 16 as group winners following 2 other successes, all without conceding a goal. They had to overcome Palestine (2–1) and then Uzbekistan in the next round (1–1 a.e.t., 3 p.s.o. to 2) to reach the last four, but without convincing. After defeating Iran 3–2 in a dramatic semifinal match, they would face off against Jordan in the final, where a penalty hat-trick by Akram Afif helped Qatar defeat Jordan 3–1 to clinch their second successive AFC Asian Cup, becoming the first team since Japan to successfully defend their title.[47][48][49]
Qatar wears all-maroon as their home colours and all-white colours as an away kit. Their first manufacturer was Umbro from 1980 to 1984. All Qatar kits are currently manufactured by Adidas.[50]
Qatar has a major rivalry against Bahrain due to historical tension between the two countries. With 39 matches played, the overall record favours Bahrain, who won 11 matches, lost 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 United Arab Emirates is a competitive one in the Arabian Gulf Cup meeting on multiple occasions, due to the 2017–2021 Qatar diplomatic crisis, increasing tensions had been witnessed, with the captain of UAE under-19 youth team refusing to shake hands with Qatar's youth captain in 2018 AFC U-19 Championship held in Indonesia; in this tournament, the UAE beat Qatar 2–1 but still crashed out from the group stage while Qatar would recover to qualify for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[52] As of 2020, Qatar and UAE have played 31 official matches, most of which was held competitively in the Arabian Gulf Cup, it started off with the United Arab Emirates beating Qatar 1–0. They only played 2 friendly games and the last friendly was held in 2011 which ended with an Emirati victory. In the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, hosted by the UAE, Qatar overran the UAE for the first time since 2001 with a result of 4–0, with heavy tensions occurring between the two teams and Emirati supporters cheering anti-Qatari chants.[53]
Qatar has a major rivalry against Saudi Arabia due to historical tension between the two countries and the 2017–2021 Qatar diplomatic crisis. Qatar has an overall negative record against Saudi Arabia; with 41 matches played, Qatar has won 8 matches, lost 17, and tied 16.
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
PRE Preliminary squad.
RET Retired from the national team.
SUS Player is serving a suspension.
WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.
Naturalised players
While it is reasonably common for footballers to represent national teams other than their birth nations,[57] the nature and extent of the practice for the Qatari team have been the subject of scrutiny and criticism at various points during the 21st century. In the early 1970s, shortly after the formation of the national team, the QFA revealed that it had naturalized its first players in a February 1976 telegram sent to FIFA: Ezzuldin Osman of Sudan, Hassan Mukhtar of Egypt and Ryad Murad of Lebanon. This practice of naturalizing Arabic-speaking foreigners to compete for the national team continued throughout the 20th century, albeit at a relatively slow rate.[58] In 2004, FIFA cited the intention of three Brazilian players – Aílton, Dedé and Leandro – to play for the Qatar national team as the immediate trigger to their decision to tighten eligibility rules to ensure players have ties to the country they represent.[59][60]
While Qatari authorities described it as a humanitarian effort and a way to provide competition for native Qatari players, critics claimed that it was merely another exploitative way of acquiring naturalized players,[61] with Vice linking it to human rights abuses and the kafala system.[62] The International Labour Organization (ILO) and Qatar announced the removal of the Kafala on 12 December 2016; the law came into effect in 2018.[63] The reform took place between UN's International labor organization and the state of Qatar and was proven to be the part of many said assurances that nation has claimed for the 2022 World Cup. Though claimed by independent bodies of Qatar foundering to achieve the same, both sides had agreed to revise previous acts that had been taken. To make this all possible, the hosting country declared to pay compensation for the deaths of its migrant workers on 12 August 2022.[64]
Job changes between September 2020 and March 2022, the establishment of a nondiscriminatory wage system for all workers in March 2021, and workers' funds and insurance policies in the workplace are all data that showcased the functioning of the state for its workers.[65]
In the 2015 friendly against Algeria, six of the eleven players in the starting team were born outside of Qatar.[66] Then-president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, warned Qatar that FIFA would monitor their player selection to ensure that they were not relying too heavily on naturalised players. He made comparisons to the Qatar men's national handball team, referring to the team's selection for the 2015 World Men's Handball Championship as an "absurdity".[67] The following year, naturalized players formed the backbone of the team and were sufficiently integral that head coach Jorge Fossati threatened to resign if they were removed.[68][69]
The Gulf Cup has been played on a bi-annual basis since 1970. The tournament has changed since the first edition from a round-robin basis to a knockout tournament in the latter years. Notably, the 2000 edition was cancelled and the 2003 and 2010 were moved due to congested fixture lists with other tournaments, such as the Asian Cup.
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