The Qatar national football team represents Qatar in association football. It has appeared in 10 Asian Cup tournaments and won it once in 2019. It played its home games at Khalifa International Stadium and Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
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Qatar’s World Cup record leaves plenty to be desired, as they have never qualified for the competition prior to hosting it in 2022.
Felix Sanchez’s side was given a spot in the 2022 tournament following FIFA’s controversial decision to grant them hosting status back in 2010.
The nation’s first attempt at World Cup qualification came ahead of the 1978 competition in Argentina, where they were eliminated at the first-round stage.
That pattern continued until 1990, as they missed out on Italia ’90 by a single point in the final round of qualifying, followed by fourth-round exits ahead of the 2010 and 2014 competitions, before finishing bottom of Group A (Third Round) in trying to reach Russia 2018.
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How many times has Qatar played in the World Cup
How did Qatar qualify for the World Cup?
After securing host status for 2022, Qatar’s plans to challenge for a place in the 2014 World Cup fell short, and the national FA looked to readjust.
Following FIFA’s permission, they were granted a special place in UEFA’s Group A of qualification, as a non-competitive side.
They unsurprisingly lost home and away against Portugal and Serbia, but secured confidence-boosting wins elsewhere, against Luxembourg and Azerbaijan.
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Additionally, Qatar have looked to compete in every available tournament in recent years, including reaching the final of the 2021 Arab Cup, the last four of the 2019 Gulf Cup, alongside accepting invitations to join the 2019 Copa America and the 2021 CONCAF Gold Cup.
