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Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui on Monday named a 28-player squad for Al Annabi’s upcoming friendly against Ireland on May 28 at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, as preparations intensify for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The squad, announced yesterday, has been trimmed from the 35-man preliminary list revealed earlier this month, with Spaniard Lopetegui now entering the final phase of selection before FIFA’s June 2 deadline for the submission of official 26-player World Cup squads. Two more players will be cut before the final list is confirmed by FIFA.
Creative talisman Akram Afif and leading striker Almoez Ali headline the travelling party, alongside experienced campaigners Hassan al-Haydos, Karim Boudiaf, Boualem Khoukhi and Pedro Miguel.
The 20-year-old left-back Rayyan al-Ali, who earned his first preliminary call-up earlier this month, has retained his place in the squad, while Al Sadd goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham also features after recovering from injury concerns earlier in the season.
Indian-origin teenager Tahsin Mohammed Jamshid also found a place in the squad.
Seven players from the original preliminary squad have been left out of the latest selection, including 42-year-old Sebastian Soria, whose inclusion had sparked the possibility of breaking Roger Milla’s record as the oldest outfield player to appear at a FIFA World Cup.
Cameroon’s Milla was aged 42 years and 39 days during the 1994 World Cup in USA, a mark that Soria, who turned 42 last November, would have comfortably eclipsed if he had played in the upcoming tournament. Also omitted are defenders Bassam al-Rawi, and 29-year-old England-born centre-back Niall Mason and Tarek Salman, midfielder Mohammed Waad, forward Mubarak Shannan and goalkeeper Fahad Youus.
Two-time Asian champions Qatar secured qualification for a second consecutive FIFA World Cup – the first on merit – after progressing through the play-offs against Oman and the UAE late last year. The FIFA World Cup will be staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
Al Annabi have been drawn in Group B and will open their campaign against Switzerland on June 13 at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium before facing co-hosts Canada on June 18 in Vancouver and Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 24 in Seattle.
The Ireland fixture will provide Lopetegui with another opportunity to assess combinations and fitness levels before Qatar face El Salvador in a final warm-up match on June 6 ahead of the World Cup.
Speaking on the sidelines of training on Sunday, experienced defender Miguel said the players believe Qatar have what it takes to progress beyond the group stage despite facing difficult opposition. “It’s a difficult group with strong teams boasting good players,” Miguel said.
“The first target is to clear the group and we have a chance to qualify for the knockout stage and we are ready. We will give everything to qualify. We just have to fight until the end. After we qualify, we will take one match at a time.”
Miguel, who was also part of Qatar’s squad at the 2022 World Cup, said the experience of playing on home soil four years ago would help the team handle the occasion better in North America.
“We are feeling less pressure because we are not playing at home. We had a lot of pressure to play an amazing World Cup in front of our home fans. But unfortunately we couldn’t do it because we didn’t play well. But this is part of football, it’s been already four years. We have a lot of experience now. We have a lot of new players to come and help us. And InshaAllah we’ll play an amazing World Cup.”
Miguel added that competition within the squad has lifted the intensity in training ahead of the tournament opener. “All the players are excited. All the players are giving 100% in the training to be in the best shape in the first game.”
