Qatar has secured a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a 2-1 victory over the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday. The win was achieved through second-half headers from Boualem Khoukhi and Pedro Miguel, marking a significant turnaround for the team.
This is the first time Qatar has advanced through World Cup qualification since hosting the 2022 tournament, during which it lost all three group-stage matches. The result places Qatar at the top of Group A in the fourth round of Asian qualification, with the UAE finishing second and moving to the fifth round and playoffs. Oman was eliminated after finishing third in the group.
In the first half, Qatar had its best chance in the 30th minute when Mohamed Al-Mannai headed the ball just wide of the UAE goal. Two minutes into the second half, Khoukhi opened the scoring by heading in a free kick from Akram Afif, beating goalkeeper Khalid Essa. With 17 minutes remaining, Afif provided another assist, delivering a cross from the left that Pedro Miguel headed into the far post.
Qatar faced a setback in the 87th minute when Tarek Salman received a straight red card. After eight minutes of added time, UAE managed to pull one back through Sultan Adil’s shot from inside the area, creating a tense finish. A draw would have been enough for UAE to advance.
Meanwhile, Japan and South Korea, both of whom have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, won their respective friendly matches against South American teams on Tuesday. Japan defeated Brazil for the first time, coming from two goals down to win 3-2 in Tokyo. Ayase Ueda scored the winning goal with a header in the 71st minute. South Korea also secured a 2-0 victory over Paraguay in Seoul.
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