25th Gulf Cup: Qatar Seeks to Make Up for World Cup Disappointment

Qatar national team seeks to regain the confidence of its fans during the competitions of the new edition of the Arab Gulf Cup in its 25th edition.

The tournament will be held in Basra, Iraq, from 6 to 19 January.

“Al-Annabi” hopes to erase the bleak image that the team showed in the 2022 World Cup competitions that were held on its land, and despite that, the team left it from the group stage without achieving any point.

Qatari national team, the 2019 Asian Cup champion, didn't take advantage that the 2022 World Cup was held in their land and among its fans, and its players performed disappointingly in the tournament, and were eliminated from the first round after 3 defeats against Ecuador 0-2, Senegal 1-3, and the Netherlands 0-2.

Qatar national team participation in the Arab Gulf Cup:

Qatar national team participated in all previous editions of the Gulf Cup, starting from the first edition in 1970, until the 24th edition in 2019.

Al-Annabi played 107 matches in the Arabian Gulf Cup tournaments, during which he achieved 41 wins compared to 25 draws and 41 losses, and his players scored 130 goals, while its goal conceded 129 goals.

Qatar national team has a spotless record in the Gulf Cup, winning the title 3 times, including twice at home in 1992 and 2004, in addition to the 2014 edition in Saudi Arabia.

The Qatar national team also won 4 silver medals in 1984, 1990, 1996 and 2002, and finished third twice in 1976 and 2004.

The historical top scorer for the Qatar national team in the Arabian Gulf Cup

Striker Mansour Moftah tops the list of Qatar national team's top scorers in the Arabian Gulf Cup tournaments.

Moftah scored 13 goals, equal with Emirate striker Ali Mabkhout, in sixth place in the historical list of the tournament's top scorers.

Qatar national team coach in the Arabian Gulf Cup

The Qatar Federation is racing against time to sign a new coach, to lead a different project after terminating the contract with Spanish coach Felix Sanchez.

Sanchez left after a long career that began in 2017, during which he led the Qatar national team in 73 matches, in which he achieved 36 victories, 13 draws and 24 defeats.

It is worth noting that the draw placed Qatar in Group B, along with Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE.

The Qatar national team will open its matches in the tournament against Kuwait on January 7, before facing its Bahraini counterpart on the 10th of the same month, and Al-Annabi will conclude its matches in the group stage against the UAE national team on January 13.