Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
The UAE has just over a month to prepare for a convoluted and drawn-out fight for the one remaining spot among many Asian teams in contention in the Road to 26 FIFA World Cup.
The UAE’s hopes of taking an automatic spot from a fourth round of qualifying took a major blow with a 2–1 defeat to hosts Qatar in Doha on Tuesday night.
Finishing runners-up in the three-team Group A with Qatar and Oman has forced Cosmin Olaroiu’s men into a home-and-away play-off against Iraq next month.
The UAE host their Middle East rivals first on November 18.
Tuesday’s match, played amid a charged atmosphere, ended with Qatar booking their spot in the next stage, while the UAE were left to rue missed chances.
The hosts went 2-0 up from two freekicks which saw Boulame Khoukhi and Pedro Miguel heading in in the 49th and 74th minutes, respectively.
Tarek Salman’s red card gave the UAE hope of a comeback, with Adil scoring in the 108th minute, but the all-important equaliser eluded the visitors.
Reflecting on the performance itself, Olaroiu said: “We controlled the match and put pressure on our opponents, but in the second half, we conceded an early goal. Football can be unfair sometimes, and now we have to move on to the next phase.
"We will strive to come back stronger and improve our chances. There were 15 minutes of stoppage time, and we could have equalised, although the second goal killed the game. We scored, but the game was stopped frequently. It’s unfortunate to have reached this point. We have to fight for our chance and learn from our mistakes moving forward.”
A report in Telecom Asia Sport quoted Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui praising the UAE’s efforts and commended his own players for rising to the challenge. “It was a very difficult match. We faced a strong and well-prepared team, the UAE,” he said.
“I congratulate everyone on qualifying in a match that we were able to manage well with the players and the team. This is the first time we have qualified [Qatar played in the 2022 World Cup as hosts].
“The first half was balanced. We wanted to score, and we achieved that early in the second half. Everyone did what was necessary. We overcame a difficult stage, qualified, and made our fans happy.”
The UAE got only three days’ rest before the Doha defeat. The Whites will have no excuse against Iraq, with plenty of time to prepare for the November 18 clash, followed by the return fixture away a week later. If they overcome that hurdle, they will enter an intercontinental play-off.
There will be six nations – one each from Asia, Africa, South America, and Oceania, along with two from the North, Central America and Caribbean regions.
The two highest-ranked teams by FIFA will receive byes to the second round.
The remaining four will play one-off semi-finals, with the winners advancing to face the top-ranked sides. The two victors from those final matches will seal qualification to the 2026 World Cup.
Oceania’s representative, New Caledonia, and Bolivia from South America have already booked their places in the play-offs. Asia’s slot will be taken by either the UAE or Iraq, while Africa’s entrant will emerge from a four-nation mini-tournament involving Gabon, Cameroon, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, scheduled to take place in Morocco. The two CONCACAF teams will be the best runners-up from the ongoing regional qualifying campaign.
