00:04The winner to organise the 2022 FIFA World Cup is Qatar.
00:15When Qatar was awarded hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup,
00:20it thrust the Middle Eastern country to the forefront of football.
00:24At that point in its history, Qatar had never qualified for the World Cup
00:28and failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup.
00:33More than a decade on from that announcement, Qatar's reputation has blossomed.
00:39The World Cup was delivered effectively.
00:41The Maroons have won back-to-back Asian Cups.
00:45The Qatar Stars League has welcomed some of the game's biggest names.
00:51And in 2025, the national team finally made it through AFC qualification
00:57for the first time.
01:00We are very, very happy.
01:02You know, the best day in my career as a coach.
01:05Very proud about these guys.
01:07They deserve it. They believe.
01:10They are resilient.
01:12And they work very, very hard to achieve this,
01:15this big achievement that never happened in history in this country.
01:19And I always told them that when you are following one big, big dream,
01:24there is a magical force that pushes you.
01:26But you have to believe.
01:27Until then, we did it.
01:31We achieved our dream.
01:33We are very happy.
01:34Very proud for the country, for all our fans,
01:36for all our players, for their families.
01:40Qatar's presence in North America was never a foregone conclusion.
01:44They finished just fourth in their AFC qualification group
01:48behind Iran, Uzbekistan and the UAE.
01:54But that was enough to see them into a further phase of qualifying
01:57that reduced six nations into two World Cup qualifiers.
02:01Here, they benefited from their FIFA ranking,
02:05seeding them first.
02:06And for home advantage, after all the group fixtures were scheduled in Qatar.
02:15A 0-0 draw with Oman in their first match set up a winner-takes-all clash with the UAE
02:20that ended in a 2-1 victory.
02:23Much to the frustration of the UAE coach,
02:26disappointed with all the advantages in Qatar's favour,
02:29including three days extra rest.
02:33When you have six days and you have three days, it's fair.
02:36It's impossible to be fair.
02:38You know, when you play this kind of tournament,
02:41all teams, they should have equal chance.
02:44And it was very simple.
02:46That this group should be playing in Saudi,
02:50and that group should be playing here.
02:53Then everyone have equal chance.
02:55Nobody play at home game in front of his fans
02:58and take 80%, 90% of the tickets.
03:02It was very simple.
03:04Just to put in different...
03:06In the beginning of the competition,
03:08they say the third place will host the group.
03:11We reach the third place and we play away.
03:14Because they decide like this.
03:16And they decide who play first, who play third, everything.
03:19But now it's too late.
03:21It's too late.
03:23What do we can do?
03:26Qatar now have the opportunity to redeem themselves on the game's greatest stage
03:30after becoming the worst-performing host nation in the history of the competition in 2022.
03:39Despite that disappointment, they rebounded quickly, defending their Asian Cup title
03:44and going undefeated in the competition for the second edition in a row.
03:52The tournament's top goalscorer and MVP was Qatari forward Akram Afif,
03:58who sealed victory with a hat-trick of penalties in the final.
04:03Afif, along with teammates Almoez Ali and Hassan Al-Hedos, are part of the strongest collection of Qatari footballers in
04:12the country's history.
04:13They're standing elevated by playing alongside the likes of Marco Verratti,
04:18Filip Cuccinio and Santicatholo in the QSL.
04:24Long-serving Spaniard Felix Sanchez had the honour of coaching Qatar on home soil,
04:29but it is his compatriot, Julian Lopetegui, that will take the team to North America.
04:38Lopetegui favours a 4-4-2 formation and remains reliant on the senior players that have driven Qatari football to
04:44success in recent years.
04:47Up to eight members of Lopetegui's squad will arrive at the World Cup with over 100 caps,
04:52while vital defender Roro will likely leave the USA having reached his century.
05:01The most significant new face in the squad is Ed Mielsen Jr.
05:05The winger was born and raised in Belgium, the son of former Brazilian professional Ed Mielsen.
05:11After a solid career with Sint Truden and Standard Liège, Ed Mielsen Jr. moved to Qatar in 2018,
05:18winning the QSL in 2020, top-scoring in the Asian Champions League in 2022
05:24and qualifying through residency for the national team.
05:31Qatar's ranking peaked at an all-time high of 34 in July 2024, since when it has been on a
05:38steady decline.
05:39They will head to the World Cup around 50th on the standings and outsiders to make it out of the
05:45group phase.
05:46limits.
05:46The 2nd stage.
05:47In the right.
05:47In the right.
05:47Theäkis.
05:47In the right.
05:47The 4th stage.
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