Doha: Qatar’s historic achievement of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the second consecutive time through a deserved 2-1 victory over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in an epic match held at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium dominated Qatari newspaper editorials on Wednesday.
According to Qatar News Agency, newspapers unanimously agreed that Qatar’s sporting achievements continue, both in terms of the outstanding organization of tournaments, as seen in numerous international tournaments across various sports, the most recent of which was the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, which was recognized as the best edition in history by all delegations, led by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, confirms Doha’s rightful claim to be the world’s sports capital.
In another context, the newspapers praised Qatari diplomacy for its distinguished efforts in facilitating dialogue between conflicting parties, ensuring security, peace, and stability. This stems from its belief in the power of diplomacy and dialogue in resolving conflicts. In this regard, newspapers pointed to what Doha witnessed on Tuesday, where the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Congo River Alliance (March 23 Movement) signed a ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism, facilitated by the State of Qatar.
For its part, Al-Arab newspaper praised Qatar’s qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a well-deserved victory against the UAE. Al-Annabi displayed a high fighting spirit and a determination to win and make history, which brought national joy for Qatar’s record of sporting achievements. The newspaper pointed out that Qatar entered the match with a winning mentality. What truly distinguished the match was the major shift in the second half, when Qatar’s coach managed the match smartly and with remarkable tactical calm, allowing the players to regain control of the field and capitalize on opportunities that turned into two decisive goals that tipped the scales in Qatar’s favor. The coach’s accurate reading of the match and changes to the lineup and tactics made a real difference on the pitch.
This qualification is no ordinary achievement, Al-Arab underlined. This marks Qatar’s second appearance at the World Cup, this time through qualification, which is a testament to the maturity of the national team and its technical and physical development, in addition to possessing an ambitious project that didn’t consider its goal impossible. Concluding its editorial, Al-Arab said Qatar proved that success is not a coincidence, and that team spirit, determination, and belief in the ability to win are the keys to glory. Today, as the country celebrates this achievement, the newspaper saluted every player, coach, and administrator who contributed to this heroic journey.
In turn, Al-Watan hailed Qatar’s historic achievement of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the second consecutive time after a deserved 2-1 win against the UAE in an epic match held at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, topping Group A at the expense of the UAE and Oman. The newspaper pointed out the great joy experienced by all Qatari cities last night as they celebrated the historic qualification for the World Cup, which confirmed the high status of Qatari football, especially after the successes achieved in the past few years. Al-Annabi won the AFC Asian Cup twice in a row, in 2019 and 2023, and participated for the first time in the World Cup finals in 2022 as the host country. Qualifying for the World Cup this time has a special flavor and great joy, especially since it is the first time Qatar has qualified for the finals through qualifiers, the newspaper added.
Al-Watan noted that Qatar’s sporting achievements continue, whether at the level of organizing tournaments with great distinction, as happened in many international tournaments in various games, the latest of which was the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, which was the best edition in history, as recognized by all delegations, headed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, which confirmed that Doha is the capital of world sports, with merit and worthiness. Concluding its editorial, Al-Watan congratulated Qatar on this historic achievement, which proved that Qatari football is capable of overcoming challenges and reaching the greatest international event: the World Cup.