In a thrilling start to the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) national team staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Qatar 3-1 at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Doha. The match, held on September 5, 2024, saw Qatar take an early lead when Ibrahim Hassan scored a powerful shot from the left corner in the 38th minute.However, the UAE team mounted an impressive second-half resurgence. Harib Abdullah equalized in the 68th minute with a great shot inside the penalty area. Khaled Al-Zenani then capitalized on a Qatar player’s error to give UAE the lead in the 80th minute. Ali Saleh sealed the victory with a third goal in the 90+4th minute.This victory marks a significant turnaround for the UAE team, ending their losing streak against Qatar, who had previously defeated them 4-0 in the 2019 Asian Cup. The win puts the UAE at the top of Group 1 with 3 points, ahead of Iran and Uzbekistan on goal difference.In other qualifier matches, Iraq secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Oman, with Ayman Hussein scoring the winning goal in the 13th minute. Meanwhile, Jordan and Kuwait played to a 1-1 draw, with Musa Al-Tamari scoring for Jordan and Youssef Nasser converting a penalty for Kuwait in the 92nd minute.The qualification system for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, sees teams divided into three groups of six. The top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams will advance to a fourth round of qualifiers.
Key points
- UAE national team secured a 3-1 comeback victory against Qatar in the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers.
- Iraq won 1-0 against Oman, while Jordan and Kuwait drew 1-1 in their respective qualifier matches.
- The top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico.
