Tashkent: The Qatari national football team is set to complete its preparations on Monday for the critical encounter against Uzbekistan, scheduled for Tuesday at Bunyodkor Stadium. This match represents the final round of Group A in the third stage of the Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

According to Qatar News Agency, the Qatari team has arrived in the Uzbek capital and will conduct their last training session at Bunyodkor Stadium on Monday. The session will be followed by a pre-match press conference led by Head Coach Julen Lopetegui. Earlier, the team trained at Khalifa International Stadium, emphasizing physical preparation and honing tactical and technical strategies.

Coach Lopetegui has bolstered the squad by including Nabil Erfan from Al Wakrah and Mohammed Ayash from Al Duhail for the Uzbekistan match. Despite the match being largely a formality for Qatar, which is already assured a place in the Asian playoff round, Lopetegui aims to sustain the team's positive trajectory and capitalize on the morale boost from their recent 1-0 victory over group leaders Iran. This victory marked Iran's first defeat in the current qualifiers.

Qatar is currently positioned fourth in the group, having secured 13 points from four wins. Both Qatar and the UAE have guaranteed spots in the Asian playoff round. Iran tops the group with 20 points, followed by Uzbekistan with 18 points, the UAE with 14, Qatar with 13, Kyrgyzstan with 7, and North Korea with 3. Iran and Uzbekistan have already secured the group's two direct qualification slots for the FIFA World Cup 2026.