Vienna: The Qatari national football team achieved a 2-0 victory over Metalist of Ukraine in a friendly match on Wednesday. The match was part of a training camp held in Austria, where the team is gearing up for the fourth round (play-off) of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

According to Qatar News Agency, the goals for the Qatari team were scored by strikers Almoez Ali in the first minute and Mohammed Muntari in the 43rd minute. Spanish national team coach Julen Lopetegui included the majority of the players invited to participate in the training camp, marking the first test for the team during this preparation period that began on July 13.

The Qatari team is scheduled to play a second and final friendly match against Udinese of Italy on July 26, just a day before concluding the training camp and returning to Doha. As they prepare for the play-offs, which will be held from October 8 to 14, the team is in Group A, alongside Oman and the UAE. The group matches will be hosted at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.

According to the play-off format, the top team in each group will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup, joining Japan, South Korea, Iran, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Australia, who have already secured their spots from the third round. The two runners-up in each group will compete in two-legged matches on November 13 and 18, 2025, with the winner advancing to the global play-off.