Qatar's Bassam Al Rawi trains with teammates yesterday.
DOHA: Qatar face a strong test against Australia in today’s international friendly at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium as head coach Julen Lopetegui looks to assess his side against quality opposition.
The reigning Asian champions will be keen to make the most of their November international window, with the return of four players adding to their options ahead of two home fixtures.
Lopetegui said the meetings with Australia and the Republic of Korea would provide valuable opportunities to assess his team’s progress and identify areas for improvement.
“Facing teams with such experience and technical quality is an ideal opportunity to assess our progress and identify the areas where we need to improve,” he said.
“These matches are a practical test of our capabilities. They will help us evaluate our technical options and see how well the players can implement our tactical ideas on the pitch.”
The Qatar coach also said the postponement of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 had required adjustments to the team’s preparation plans, stressing the importance of making the most of the matches available.
“We had initially planned our preparations around the Asian Cup, so the postponement meant we had to reorganise our programme. We must now maintain our momentum and make the most of the matches available to us,” he said.
The continental tournament, originally scheduled for January 7 to February 5 next year, has been moved to December 23, 2027-January 21, 2028. Qatar’s planned December 27 friendly against Saudi Arabia in Al Khobar was subsequently cancelled.
Captain Hassan Al-Haydos said the atmosphere in the camp was positive as Qatar prepare for two demanding assignments.
“The atmosphere in the camp is very positive, and everyone is in good spirits. We are looking forward to these two matches and want to put in strong performances,” he said.
“We realise these matches will not be easy, despite being friendlies. Our goal is to get the maximum benefit in terms of team chemistry and the development of our collective performance.”
Qatar will face the Republic of Korea in their second friendly on November 17, also at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.
Australia arrive in Doha under coach Tony Popovic, who has made eight changes to the squad that faced Brazil in September. The 25-member selection includes 11 players from their FIFA World Cup 2026 squad, while seven players are in contention to make their international debuts.
Popovic said the November window remained important despite the postponement of the Asian Cup, with limited opportunities to bring the squad together and continue developing the team. He said the young players selected for the camp were excited by the opportunity, while the more experienced members had helped them settle in.
Reflecting on their two matches against Brazil, Popovic said the performances had helped build belief within the group, but stressed the need to turn that into results.
“The next step is to turn strong performances into wins,” he said.
The Australian coach expects Qatar to pose a different challenge, pointing to the experience within Lopetegui’s squad.
“They have ten to fifteen players between 50 and, in some cases, 180 or 190 caps. We’ve got one player with over 50 caps,” Popovic said.
He expects Qatar to press aggressively before becoming more organised and looking to counterattack through their fast forwards.
“Qatar will press aggressively in the opening stages before becoming more organised and looking to counterattack through their fast forwards. It will be another opportunity for us to improve our game against the reigning Asian champions,” Popovic said.
Today’s match kicks off at 5:45pm, while Qatar’s meeting with the Republic of Korea on November 17 is scheduled for 5pm.
Doha will also host another international friendly today, with Saudi Arabia taking on the Republic of Korea at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium at 5:30pm. Saudi Arabia will return to the same venue on November 17 to face Uzbekistan at 6:30pm.
