Asian champions Qatar yesterday started their final phase of preparations in Houston ahead of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which will begin on Sunday.
The Felix Sanchezcoached side reached Houston on Wednesday to take part in the tournament following a three-week training camp in Croatia. The team underwent a training session yesterday under Sanchez's supervision.
Qatar will be based out of Houston for all three of its Group D encounters. Al Annabi will kick off their campaign against Panama on July 13, face Grenada on July 17 and will close group play against Honduras on July 20 in hopes of continuing their winning ways.
Participating for the first time in the Gold Cup as an invited guest, the reigning AFC Asian Cup champions will look to test themselves against the best competition from North America, Central American and the Caribbean in their preparation to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Head coach Sanchez has been at the helm of the Qatar men’s national team since 2017 and has been working with the country’s younger players since 2013 as the coach of the U19, U20 and U23 national teams.
Among the players that have been part of the Spanish coach’s process is 24-year-old forward Almoez Ali, who was the 2019 AFC Asian Cup top scorer with nine goals. Ali was also part of Sanchez’s squad that won the 2 0 1 4 A F C U - 1 9 Championship.
Qatar have another 24-year-old forward to watch out for in Akram Afif. The Doha native scored in both the U19 and Asian Cup finals and has finished as the top scorer and top assist man in the Qatar Stars League.
Qatar are yet to taste defeat so far in 2021. They picked up close wins over Luxembourg, Azerbaijan and the Republic of Ireland earlier in the year before defeating regional foes India and Oman in 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers.
Prior to their arrival in the United States for the Gold Cup, Qatar based their camp in Pula, Croatia where they picked up a 3-1 win over the hosts in a June 30 exhibition, before playing to a 1-0 result against fellow Gold Cup participants El Salvador on July 4.
